Can You Hear Me Now?
by thievesfire
Summary: Fulfilling a promise made to her big brother, Nora White has pushed everything aside for years, in order to achieve her goals. Now working as the newest interviewer in the WWE, she's finally being heard. But it's a different life on the road every day of the year, and when she meets her carpool partner, she begins to wonder if she really has caught all her dreams after all.
1. Borrowed Dreams

My mother always laughed when I said that all I wanted to do was be heard. She told me that I didn't talk loud enough to be heard in a crowded room, let alone by the whole world. No, no, I should find something constructive to do. Maybe I should study medicine. Or perhaps I could become a lawyer like father. That was a sensible career choice. People would pay attention to me if I made more money than them.

I was never like my parents. My elder brother catered to their dreams for him. He was a perfect student, a hard worker, made the team, made state, signed on up and was shipped off for distant lands all in the name of the American dream. The day he left, was the day I found myself truly alone. I was only small. I wanted some spark, some belief from the people who were supposed to love me, supposed to care. I'd play with the toy microphone I'd been given some Christmases before. I'd watch the other kids out of my bedroom window and commentate. I'd sit on the floor for hours and make mixtapes, pretending to be a radio DJ. When Jacob left, he gave me something else. Between studying, between perfections, he'd spend hours watching wrestling on TV. He'd tape every single show, and when I was supposed to be asleep, he'd sneak me into his room. We'd cuddle up under the blankets and watch every fight with aw.

He told me once that his dream had been very different to Mother and Father's. His dream, was to be in that four sided ring, bouncing off the ropes to the applause of thousands, to be seen all around the world. He wanted to be on that screen.

Our last moments together, I didn't want to let go of him. Ten years old and suddenly faced with the prospect of losing my best friend, my protector, my whole world...it was terrifying. But he held me tight. He wiped away my tears.

'_Keep hold of dreams Sparky, don't let them go. Promise me, you won't let them go.'_

I wish I'd said something to him. Told him I would never let go. He left me and I was lost. But he'd sparked something inside of me. A determination I'd never had before. I wanted to be heard, and chase those lost dreams. I found myself sat, watching those old re-runs over and over. These were people who were listened to. Who were loved and adored. Jacob had handed over what he wanted to make other people happy. It wasn't right. I'd make it better.

It's strange how little time changes you when you have plans. I grew older. I worked so hard. I watched and I added kindling to the fire inside. Every time his letters arrived, I was reminded of what I was working for. Mother and Father didn't approve, but I didn't care. I wasn't doing this for them. I was doing it for myself. For my big brother.


	2. For The First Time

The little blue number they'd selected barely reached past mid-thigh. Nervous, I kept trying to pull it down, just trying to hide an extra inch of skin. Everywhere people dashed about. Sound techs were to my lift trying to sort out the sound on the boom. I looked down at the microphone in my hand and almost laughed. It felt so much heavier than the one from the toy box all those years ago. The hairdresser, Adele plucked at my dark hair, trying to spray more volume into it. She could try all she wanted, it had only ever sat flat against my skull, and curled at the ends half way down my back. She muttered to herself as she did it but I couldn't pay attention. The butterflies in my stomach were turning tribal, some heavy dance that made me feel like I was about to explode. The screen next to me showed what was going on out in the arena. My segment, my first ever, was coming up in minutes.

Even though they wouldn't be on show I checked my shoes one last time. They were plain white heels, but they made me feel unsteady. Perhaps it was the sheer height of them, I was only small, but to be able to be framed properly they needed me five inches taller. I found if I stayed perfectly still I could almost retain my balance, but with Adele pulling at my hair, a make-up artist I hadn't learned the name of yet reapplying my eyeliner and the camera crew trying to get into position, I just tried to be as small as possible. This was all so crazy. It only felt like days before when I'd found myself in FCW. I'd written as many emails as I could, taken impossibly vain portraits of myself, phoned in any favours owed, I'd even uploaded videos to Youtube. Somehow, I'd caught their attention. Years of care, of dedication had brought me to this moment.

And I was bricking it.

'Oh it's no good you'll have to have it as it is.' Adele fussed. 'You look lovely Nora. How are you feeling?' she was a kind woman, had taken the time to introduce herself and tell me about her time with the WWE. It seemed some people had been there for decades behind the scenes, let alone in the ring. She'd been in charge of the Diva's hair back when there had been a Women's Championship, and could remember Trish Stratus' first day. She may have been in her early sixties, but she had this incredible youth in her blue eyes. I'd liked her instantly.

'Like I'm super glued to the floor and a herd of bulls are about to run me down. I can't _believe_ I'm doing this.' I hadn't been able to muster a smile for hours, to scared to even talk loudly in case my voice conked out. Since the second I'd woken up the day had been endless glasses of water, work outs and five showers. I had to look my best. The scales were not being kind. But the dress fit beautifully. Naturally curvy, I was a completely different shape to the other interviewers. But I did my best to stay in shape. Carbs had been the enemy for the past week. I heard one of the techs talking about cheeseburgers as he strolled past and my stomach grumbled loudly. Embarrassed, I tried to hide my face, but the make up artist pulled my chin back to pat on some more eye shadow. It made me impossibly glad that someone else could do my make up for me. Even after years of practising, the best I could do was a swipe of eyeliner.

'You'll be fine. I saw your practice early on, and you were fantastic. Don't let the nerves get to you,' she patted my bare forearm gently. 'You're going to be great. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go and sort out the Bella twins before their tag match. Best of luck sweetie, kill 'em all!' with a friendly wave she walked off. I so desperately wanted to chase after her, give her the biggest hug and beg her not to leave me, but the super glue was still in effect, and I didn't trust myself to even attempt walking in these shoes.

I held the microphone tight. My nails matched the dress, but white on the thumb nail. I'd insisted on it that way – a little tribute to my family. With a final smudge of the eyeliner, I was left alone to stand in front of that black camera. It was like looking into a black hole. The cameraman was making some last second angle adjustments. Just out of the corner of my eye, I could see someone else being fussed over just out of shot. I swallowed. My first interview. Post match, he looked hot and bothered, hair all tousled. My stomach did a strange little flip. I had to swallow to try and wet my mouth. He saw me staring and winked as he was fussed over. He looked so _used_ to it.

'Ok Nora, we're on in five.'

'What? Wait I -,'

But he counted down on his fingers. I just had time to raise the microphone up to my painted lips. It was difficult not to shake. My legs were. Even after years of practice in FCW and NXT, it was like my first day all over again. He pointed straight at me. I heard Michael Cole over my ear piece.

'_Now let's go to Nora White, with Dolph Ziggler_.'

Rolling.

'Thanks Michael,' a slight voice quiver, but I swallowed it down, tried to make an easy smile fall onto my mouth. It was like trying to smile for a family photo. 'I'm here backstage, with Dolph.' He sauntered quickly into shot. No wonder they wanted me to wear heels. He wasn't massive, but compared to me...'Now that was a tough qualifying match against Bad News Barrett, but you're through! How do you feel knowing you're heading for the Royal Rumble?'

He leaned in. I could see the sweat running over his pectorals and the smile came a little easier. It may have only been my first day with the WWE, but already it was the best. He nodded enthusiastically. You could see he was still reeling down after the match, he bobbed on his toes.

'How do I feel? I feel great. Better than great, because this gives me a chance to show, what the WWE Universe knows I can do, and that's go all the way to the top. I've been fighting my entire WWE career, I've been knocked down, knocked out, but I always come back. Tonight I proved once again I have what it takes. And on Sunday night, I'm going out there, to win.' He made to walk away, and I suddenly remembered to breathe, but he came back suddenly, 'Thanks.' And with a wink, he was out of shot. I stared after him, almost forgetting that the camera was still rolling. It was only when Ted, the cameraman shouted, 'Cut!' that I realized where I was and what had just happened.

'Nora you did great!'

'Well done hon,'

'You kept your cool, good job!'

The praise was wonderful but I couldn't quite focus. I needed shoes off. Right now. I hobbled over to the frame that held the screen and clutched a hold with my microphone hand. With the other, I pulled off the heels and relished as my bare feet hit the cold floor. I couldn't stop the sound of relief. My eyes closed and I smiled, relaxed. I'd done it. My first interview for the WWE...it was a crazy crazy thing, to dream. I'd been heard by thousands in the space of less than a minute.

'Hey.'

Surprised, I released the frame and almost tumbled over, but a taped hand caught my wrist and pulled me upright. Overbalanced, I stumbled forward, face first into a bare chest, my hand flat against abdominal muscle.

'Oh, oh God I'm sorry,' I felt my face turn red, I backed up immediately and tried to smooth down my dress and hide behind my hair. 'I didn't, I mean...'

'It's cool.' Dolph laughed and held up his hands, 'No harm no foul. I just wanted to say, well done. You did well for your first time.'

'I had like two lines and was terrified I'd get even those wrong...'

He grinned. 'But you didn't. That's a victory in itself, right? So looks like we're both winners tonight.'

He was so easy going it almost caught meoff guard. He'd quickly pulled a pair of joggers over his wrestling shorts and looked completely at ease with hanging around half naked...of course he was. He did it every single night in front of crowds I couldn't even dream of. He seemed confident, but genuine. I liked his smile.

'Yeah, yeah I guess we are!' I beamed back, head cocked to the side a little, eyes closed so I wouldn't get caught staring at him again. It was so strange to think that people I'd watched wrestle on TV were part of my day job now. I'd have to get used to it quickly, but couldn't quite contain my excitement at the sheer thought of it. 'It's great to meet you Dolph, I'm a big fan.'

'A mark eh?' he sized her up. 'Well you don't quite look like a crazy one. But how good are you?'

'You signed developmental in 2004, debuted as a caddy, became a cheer leader and later a major show off. You took your name from your Grandfather and a friend's suggestion, are the sole survivor of two survivor series matches and...your middle name is Theodore.' The words just came out. Almost as soon as they had my eyes were wide, I covered my mouth with my hands. Oh. Dear. God. What had I done? My greatest wish right then in that exact moment was for the ground to swallow me whole.

But to my surprise, Dolph laughed. He clapped his hands and pointed at me. 'Knowledgeable, but not quite crazy.' He seemed to notice how embarrassed I was because he patted my arm. It was oddly comforting, just like Adele had earlier. 'Half the people who work here are ascended fans. You'll fit right in. Well, guess I'd better go shower. Good to meet you Nora, and well done again.' He raised his hand to his forehead and saluted me with two fingers. 'See you around Sparky.'

_Sparky?_

I stared after him in disbelief. How...no he couldn't have known. It was impossible. I glanced down at the microphone I still hadn't released. My brother's words came back to me and I held that microphone against my chest, hugging it as close as I could to my heart.

'I won't let go Jake, I've finally made it. I'm not letting go for the world.'


	3. But You Can't Touch

Luckily, the rest of my commitments for that night went off without a hitch. One more interview, this time with Roman Reigns. He was another charming individual, and made me feel absolutely tiny. Jake had always been so much taller than me that I should have been used to it. Whilst the two men I'd met properly so far weren't absolute giants, I was beginning to think that I would never dare wear anything less than a five inch heel to work ever again. Back in NXT I'd had my own special box to stand on, given to me as a present by Sami Zayn when he'd realized, bless him, that I was more of a sneaker girl than anything else. He'd even put a bow on it when he'd given it to me. I missed the NXT guys...they'd all been in the exact same boat as me, trying to fulfil a dream. Most of them had been wrestling for years, some, like Sami, for over a decade. It was incredible to think that whilst I'd still been in my bedroom, waiting for letters from Jake, and thinking about how to even try and become part of the wrestling industry, they'd been living it.

I respected wrestlers more than they could understand. The dedication, the endless learning and how it could destroy the body...it took a special kind of human to chose that path. Roman himself had spoken to me briefly after our interview, told me he'd originally played football, doing stints with various teams ((I knew exactly which ones, Minnesota Vikings, Jackson Jaguars and the Edmonton Eskimos...but after my earlier slip up with Dolph, I thought it was best to hold my tongue; anything to try and save myself from any further embarrassment)). We compared tattoos, his tribal sleeve was a dedication to his Samoan heritage and far more impressive than my half sleeve. It seemed that all the wrestlers were gentlemen, and I was more than keen to get to know them all; though what excited me even more, was to meet some of my fellow ladies in the industry.

Stephanie had been the one to greet me when I'd shown up for my first day. It had taken every single fibre of my being not to mark out in front of her. This was a woman I'd watched on TV ever since I was nine. I'd always been jealous of her hair, and as a kid I'd always wanted my mother to crimp it like Stephanie always did in the early nineties; but no. It made me laugh, to think that the first thing the first lady of wrestling had said me was, '_you have the most gorgeous hair, I'm jealous. Adele will have a field day with you I'm sure._' A compliment from Stephanie McMahon? I'd very nearly melted to a Montana puddle.

My heels swung from two fingers as I strolled along the corridors; it was odd to think we were at the University of Texas. I'd never been to this state before today, though a fair few stars had come from it over the years. My mind drifted, back to the interview with Dolph. I wished I'd had the chance to ask him more questions, what his thoughts were on what happened on Raw...with Cena winning his, Rowan and Ryback's jobs back...it seemed such a shame to be cut down to so few words. But they were live shows; they had to be done to the second. I sighed, and ran a hand through my hair. Stupid, flat hair. I could blame my mother for that. Straight as a poker hers, thank God mine wasn't her awful shade of dirty brown. It never looked clean. Jake and I had inherited our father's Italian darkness. I was fond of the way I looked, but the expert hands of the artists here sure helped.

Up ahead of me, was the infamous black curtain the wrestlers went through to go out to the roars of the crowd. Stopping, I could briefly envisage Jake doing so...wrestling shorts, boots, his tattooed arms stretching out. He'd told me he'd decided on a wrestling name, he'd be JJ Wilde. It had a ring to it. I could almost imagine it now, stencilled on the back of wrestling gear. A smile curled my mouth and folded my arms. The gorilla position was occupied by none other than Adele, stilling fussing, but this time, like she'd mentioned earlier, over the Bella twins. They'd always looked stunning on screen, but in the flesh it was hard to believe they were real. They could have been carved out of marble. Feeling those nerves flutter up again, I shyly moved forward.

Luckily Adele spotted me. In the background I could hear the Ryback Rusev match in full swing.

'Nora! Come here love, meet the girls.' She gestured and I followed obediently. Without my heels, they were taller than me by a couple of inches, and as I came closer I felt more and more inadequate. 'Nors, this is Nikki and Brie, ten points if you know which is which.'

'I'll give you a clue, I'm bigger.' The twin to the left, Nikki said with a wink. You could see the physical differences easily. Not only was Nikki's extraordinary bosom much larger than her sisters, her muscles were a little more defined, no doubt from combining workouts with her other half. I was talking to the girlfriend of John Cena. _Get used to it Nors, this is your job now..._I thought to myself and shook my head, thrust out my hand so enthusiastically I almost punched poor Brie in the gut.

'I'm Nora. It's so great to meet you both, big fan. Your ring work has improved so much recently. I must be great to be Diva's champ again.'

Like Dolph earlier, the twins shared a quick knowing smile. They offered me a warm handshake, one on each hand.

'My brother Jake always had such a massive crush on you two. I can't believe I'm meeting you in person.' I tucked my hair behind my ear and folded my hands behind my back. The heels had dropped to the floor for the handshake. I ignored them, but Brie picked one up and inspected it.

'Hey, we're all the same shoe size.' She grinned. 'Probably means we'll all end up nicking each other's things...that's what normally happens. Don't leave anything pretty laying around Nora, you'll lose it. Especially if Foxy is about.'

Nikki's smile dropped a notch at the mention of her fellow Diva. But Brie brushed over it and handed the shoe back, 'Sounds like the match is over. I wonder where Naomi is?' she peered about, but it was only the three of them, Adele had disappeared and I hadn't even noticed. It made me feel bad, but I was sure I'd see her again soon to apologize. 'The match starts in a minute.' As she said it, the curtain flapped and out came Rusev and Lana. He looked angry and before I could get out of the way, I was shoved aside. Stumbling back, I hit into one of the spare lights, tripped and found myself flat on my back on top one of the equipment trunks. My ankle stung and I winced as I sat up.

'Oh my God are you alright?' Brie was next to me, hand on my arm. Concerned. Brie Bella was touching my arm. Jake would have been so jealous. It made me feel like a five year old; the fact she was making physical contact was more important than the fact I was hurt. 'What a bully. He's been in a foul mood for weeks...but he's never laid a hand on any of us before...'

Nikki had seemingly vanished, but as I looked about I saw she'd grabbed a hold of Lana. The two women glared each other down. Lana's sickeningly stern smile was bold, red as Russia herself. No words passed, and when Rusev re-emerged from the shadows, my heart sank. But before anything could happen, the curtain swished again, and sweating, pissed off and looking for a fight, was Ryback. He had to be seen in real life to be believed. Without stopping he charged after Rusev. Lana and her champion darted off. I found myself staring after them. What had just happened? Nikki returned to my side.

'Are you alright Nora?'

'I think so. Just a nick. I...he caught me off guard is all. I didn't expect that.'

'Of course you didn't. Unfortunately what happens in the ring sometimes carries on backstage. People aren't always good here Nora. The faster you learn that, the quicker you'll stay afloat. Make friends, but always be cautious. Anyone can turn against you in a heartbeat to further themselves.'

It was a struggle to take in what Brie was saying. I'd thought that any animosity was all kayfable. It had never really occurred to me that there could be tension, even anger between the wrestlers. Surely they'd all be united through their love of the job...but it made sense. If people wanted to climb the ladder, they'd knock other people off on their way. I swallowed and nodded. There was a little gash on my right ankle, but nothing that wouldn't heel. The shock of it all had been enough. My very first night and I'd already witnessed something like this. One thing was for sure, it'd never be boring.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a flock of Divas descended on the gorilla. A goth like girl, younger than myself appeared. She was the skinniest little thing I'd ever seen, but I knew that she wasn't someone to be messed with, especially since at her debut she'd won the Diva's champion off none other than AJ Lee. With her was Natalya Hart. Desperate to keep my inner mark under control I stood up, and tried not to squeal. This was like being sent to some incredible heaven. I'd admired and watched all these women. Now I was standing among them. The incident only moments ago forgotten, I wanted to run over and introduce myself, but Brie kept a hold of my arm, and shot me a warning glance.

'Well if it isn't the Bella Brats.' Paige's voice was practically delicious. I'd never heard such a pure accent before. She smiled with every single word, and those heavily outlined eyes seemed to sparkle, even in the meagre light. But there was something uneasy in the air. 'How's my belt Nikki? Too heavy for you yet?'

Nikki glared at her but didn't dignify a response. Brie on the other hand...

'What are you two here for huh? This match is me an Naomi.'

'Well we just so happen to have been invited to join the commentary team for this match. So pumpkin why don't you just keep that expensive nose of yours to yourself, hm?' Paige reached out and took Natty's hand and gave her a gentle tug. The two of them disappeared through the curtain and I found myself staring after them.

'What was that about?'

'Never film a reality series with friends. It destroys everything you thought you had.' Nikki muttered. She clearly had been put out of joint by Paige's comments, but managed to keep her cool. Naomi's music started to play and panicked, Brie looked about.

'Where is she?'

'Here! Here! I'm here!' sprinting along in her black and orange ensemble, Naomi pretty much dashed through the curtain. I managed to stifle a giggle. It made me notice what Brie and Nikki were actually wearing. Whilst Brie was the one wrestling, Nikki was near half naked. The tiny shorts she wore could only have been pulled off by herself, and her buxom bosom only just about fit in the lace up top she wore. Her hat, which I wanted to steal, sat squint on her head. Brie on the other hand had a shirt (no doubt one of Daniel's) tied about her waist, a t-shirt and ripped skin tight lycra trousers. These women had to be goddesses in human form because no one else alive could have pulled it off. I knew they were supposed to be the heels, but I couldn't help but quietly root for the two girls. _You Can Look_ started to play. Brie kissed my cheek and waved.

'Nice to meet you Nora. If you're about after the show, wanna grab a coffee? We can all get to know each other better.'

'Yes, yes! I'd love to!'

And just like that they were gone. I stood alone, in the gorilla position, and felt on top of the world. Rusev forgotten, and even forgiven, nothing could ruin the night for me. For no other reason than for the joy I felt rising inside me like a massive balloon, I started to dance along to the beat of the twins' entrance music. Life was good.


	4. Hitching A Lift

The January night was bitterly cold. It seemed the inner states could be just as frostbitten as the north. I cuddled into my scarf and thick coat as I lurked near the exit of the University. Everyone had long since left the arena, and Brie had promised to come and find me. My first day of the job had gone so quickly. But I was pleased. I hadn't completely made a fool of myself. Well. I suppose that could been debated. Dolph and the twins had been so kind to my inability to shut up when I started. Roman had been so calm it had been easy to be the same way. His low voice had made my stomach knot up a little – he'd reminded me a lot of Jake. The same dark eyes and that gentle way of talking.

God I missed him. He'd be so proud.

Cars moved by, all colours, all sizes. Some belonged to the stars, others to people of the university. You couldn't tell who was inside. It could have been anyone in the world. I could have just been a college student. Well. A mature college student, the mere thought of that made me feel old. I'd changed into some comfortable jeans, an old jumper and most importantly, my sneakers. Whilst I was dwarfed by everything and everyone, I felt secure in them. Like they were my baby blanket. Heels had always been an accident waiting to happen, and it had taken hours in just a tiny heel to work out how to walk in them right.

Behind me I heard the doors open, and turned around expectantly, a prepared smile on my face. But no Brie, instead, I found myself faced with Nikki. She spotted me and I realized very quickly that her expression was apologetic.

'Hey Nora.'

'Good to see you again Nikki, I'm guessing something came up.'

'Yeah...Daniel, in his no DQ against Kane, got pretty roughed up. He's with EMT now getting looked over. Brie said for me to find you and apologize.'

Disappointed, but determined not to lose friends over this, I nodded. 'It's more than fine. I understand completely. Things happen right? Is Daniel ok?'

Nikki's make up had been cleaned off and replaced with a more natural look. She looked stunning, but tired. The life of a wrestler. She folded her arms against the cold.

'I think so. But she just wanted to make sure. She did say to me though to get your mobile number. Because as the unofficial queens of the locker room, we'd like to take you out for dinner tomorrow night.'

I stared at her. 'Are you serious?'

'Of course. Our first day was terrifying, and whilst everyone was kind, we had to find our way without a huge amount of guidance. Think of it as our way of saying welcome to the madness.' She chuckled and looked down at her watch. 'John said he'd be out in a minute...have you met him yet?'

I shook my head. The sheer prospect of meeting someone like John Cena was genuinely terrifying. In some ways I was far more worried about seeing him than anyone else. Even Vince when I'd been recruited had been easier to stomach than I'd first thought. Triple H too – though I'd only seen him briefly. Cena was the highest star in the WWE universe, and everyone wanted that spot. That chance to shine as he did. It was all too easy to forget he was a human being, and that he had a real life outside of the ring.

'Well you'll get your chance soon.' Nikki smiled again. She still wore her baseball cap and pulled it down a little over her ears. 'The cold and I don't do well, so I hope he doesn't keep us waiting. I can feel my skin drying out. Facial when we get back to the hotel I think. Or sleep. Maybe sleep.'

Out of the two of them, my first impression had been Brie was the more personable one, but spending this short time alone with Nikki, I realized I'd judged a little too harsh. She was just as friendly. Forget a meal, just being able to chatter to these people like I'd known them forever made me feel welcome. 'What hotel are you staying at?'

'Er...' I dug around in the pocket of my coat with numb fingers. My bags had been sent ahead and I'd been told to tell the driver the name of where I was staying. But my brain had been so all over the place I'd had to write it down. But I couldn't find anything. I bit my lip, panic setting in. Checked my other pocket, patted all over. Nothing. Nowhere. 'Bother.'

'What's wrong?'

'I had it! I did, I wrote it down on a piece of paper, it was right here in my coat. But now it's gone. I can't remember where it was...my bags are there. What do I do?'

Before I could completely freak out, Nikki put a hand on my shoulder. 'It's ok, calm down. Do you know anyone else who's staying with you? Are you sharing rooms at all?'

'Not that I know of...'

Out of nowhere, an iPhone appeared in her hand. She pulled off one of her gloves and started to tap furiously on the screen. She was silent, one hand in her pocket. Itching to see who she was talking to, I had to bob on my heels to stop myself. Another car scrolled past, lights shining into the dark. But it didn't stop. Clearly not meant for Nikki. She stared at the phone for a moment, waiting. A tone rang out into the darkness.

'You're at the Hampton Inn. Looks like a fair few are staying there.' Another tone. 'Oh you're sharing with Renee.'

'As in Renee Young?'

'Yeah, met her yet?'

Another regretful shake of my head. It had surprised me we hadn't bumped into each other so far, but she'd been busy in the times I'd been free. The prospect of meeting her excited me – she was the only other female interviewer now that Eden had moved onto ring announcing. From what I'd heard she was a riot. The idea of sharing a room with her didn't seem scary, I felt lucky. It could have been anyone.

'She's a doll. You'll get along great with her, because she'll make you.' Nikki chuckled and tucked her phone away. As she did, the doors behind opened, and bundled up in a warm jacket stood the most recognizable man in the company. The first thing I realized was his neck was bigger than my face. Slightly taller than Dolph, but shorter than Roman, I found myself craning my neck back a little just to be able to see him properly. He came up behind Nikki and slipped his arms around her waist, locked her into a hug and kissed her cheek. He rested that chin on her shoulder and nodded toward me.

'Ah, new girl. You must be Nora White.' He stood up, and slipped round. He offered a meaty hand. My own disappeared completely inside it and when he shook, my whole arm went. I barely came up to his pectorals. It made me feel like a little girl, not a twenty five year old woman. But he had a warm, approachable face, and eyes that sparkled in the lamplight. It was easy to see why women floundered over him. 'It's a pleasure to meet you. Welcome to the company, I'm sorry we didn't have time to talk earlier – I saw you with Stephanie.'

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I thought I could see him, just outside of my vision, or maybe it was a memory of his voice. But either way, he remembered me without a word being passed between us, praise indeed.

'No no, it's lovely to meet you. Nikki's gorgeous, you're lucky to have her.'

It was meant as a compliment. Once I'd said it I realized it was more directed at her than him. Dammit. Was a single meeting going to go smoothly? I needed some filter between my brain and my mouth. Maybe then I wouldn't screw it up. Thankfully John seemed to see the funny side of what I'd said and grinned at the woman who stood beside him.

'She keeps me in line that's for sure.'

Nikki winked at me. The sound of another car, I turned and found it had stopped next to us.

'Looks like our rides here – do you need a lift Nora?'

'Oh...oh that's ok! Thank you though, I'm sure I can find a taxi or something.' I stammered, not wanting to encroach.

'Don't be daft girl, hop on in.' Nikki said and held the door open for me. Open mouthed, I couldn't find words. Uncertain, I shuffled forward, and managed to tumble into the backseat. It was only when I was inside I realized how fancy the cars were. They were wide, spacious, and there were seats opposite. Wait. This was a limousine. I'd never been in one before and looked around in wonder, somehow oppressing the urge to squeal at my good fortune. John and Nikki slipped on in and sat in front of me. The door slammed shut and we were off. Nikki knocked on the glass that separated us from the driver. 'Could you take us to the Hampton Inn first please?'

He nodded, but said nothing.

'So how'd your first day go?' John asked. He'd unzipped his jacket and slinked an arm around Nikki's shoulders; she leaned against him, one hand on his thigh. They looked so perfect together. Ever since I'd found out they were dating, I'd yet to be convinced. It seemed like such an odd pairing, but now I saw it for myself, I found myself falling for them.

I shuffled in my seat, 'Good! I think. I stumbled a little in my first interview...but the one with Roman went better...met some real nice people. I think I'm going to really like it here. It's already pretty different to NXT, people there all get to know each other pretty well from the off, here you have to look for people to befriend them. Luckily I found Nikki and Brie. They're lovely.'

Nikki beamed at me, but then her smile slipped a notch. 'We were just getting talking when Rusev decided to shove her out the way.'

A curious thing happened then. John's pleasant smile vanished completely; his face almost seemed to collapse into a dark frown.

'He what.' Even his voice had deepened, it was like in that split second he'd become a completely different person all together. I found myself wishing I was outside in the cold again, because the temperature had certainly dropped in the car.

'It was nothing...I was in his way...'

'He came stomping through the curtain and threw her aside John. She hurt her ankle. Show him Nora.'

Reluctant, but knowing I had no choice; I rolled up my jean leg a little, and smoothed down the top of my sneaker. The cut looked worse than it was – I'd forgotten to ask an EMT for a plaster. Looking at it now, in the light, it actually looked quite deep. The blood had dried, but that didn't help. I almost didn't want to look up at John, and when I did, it was like looking into the heart of a storm. He didn't say anything. Just stared at it.

'See...it's nothing. It's fine. It'll heal. I'm sure it was an accident...' I mumbled, and quickly rolled the jean down again.

'It's not fine Nora.' Nikki shook her head. She was leaning forward to, that hand still on John's leg, as if to hold him back. 'Tomorrow, when we're at the House Show, we're going to have one of the EMTs have a proper look at that before we go out, alright? Rusev has no right to lay hands on anyone, especially any of us.'

She was so strong. So fiery. Why couldn't I be that way? I was determined...I'd had to have been to get where I was...but I didn't have that spark I could see burn in her. We were very different people. I didn't want to tread on toes, but I could tell Nikki made a business of stomping on them.

'John will you have a word with him? Just so he knows not to do it again.' She worded it so I had no reason to object. Cena nodded his head very slowly, and just the once. 'Thank you.'

The rest of our journey to my hotel passed in complete and unbearable silence. I'd never been so glad to get out of a car in my entire life. The driver even got out and opened the door for me, and in my haste I near fell out and onto the sidewalk, but managed to catch myself. Graceful as an elephant.

'See you tomorrow night Nikki, thank you for the lift. It was lovely to meet you John.' I managed to get out before I dashed up the steps to the hotel front door. I just wanted to get away from them. The awkwardness of the conversation...I'd not thought too much of what had happened, but it was clear it severely bothered John. But just as went to go through, I turned, and found the car still there. Nikki, head out the window, waved at me. My heart hurt a little. I'd been so desperate to go, that I'd not waved goodbye. A smile caught my lips, and I returned the sentiment. The window closed, and off they drove, leaving me alone. I took a deep breath, and looked at those doors. Another set to open. What was waiting for me behind them?


	5. Something To Celebrate

The lobby and reception were far grander than I expected. The decor was grey tiled floors which travelled up one wall behind the welcome desks. It could have been cold, but the lamps which hung from the ceiling and the large rug under the desks somehow made it feel homely. There was abstract art on the walls, pretty carpets and comfy arm chairs. It made me smile, and after the intense quiet in the car, it made me feel comfortable; especially when I saw several of my fellow employees checking in. I'd almost been worried that I was late for some reason. Just showed everything had turned out alright in the end. I didn't have any details, and as I stepped into the short line to be checked in, I felt unprepared. Was I supposed to find someone back at the show to get papers or codes? What if they turned me away because I couldn't provide them with anything? Worry didn't cover it, until I heard someone call my name.

'Hey! Hey Nora!'

I blinked, looked left and right, and finally over toward the lobby. Sitting in one of the squishy red patterned arm chairs, was a petite blonde. She was perched on her knees on the cushion, one hand on the back of the chair and the other waving frantically to try and catch my attention. She had a broad smile and I couldn't help but grin back. She motioned for me to come on over. I didn't want to lose my place in the queue, but compelled I shuffled away and down the steps into the lobby. She scrambled off the seat and ran over. She threw her arms around me and enveloped me in a sisterly hug.

'It's great to meet you!' she put her hands on my arms and pulled back a little to look me over. 'Oh you're stunning, I was told you were a looker, seems like I might have some competition!' she giggled. 'Nikki texted me and said you didn't know which hotel you were in – completely my fault I'm sorry! I was supposed to come and find you, then we'd share a car here, I guess time got away from me and I forgot...not a very good first impression right? But never mind never mind, you're here now!' she was so excitable it was infectious, and seeming to realize how informal she was being she composed herself and stuck out a hand. 'I'm Renee, and I can't believe we never saw each other on NXT. Strange world right?'

'It happens! I'm beginning to realize that everything is so much bigger than I originally thought.'

'Oh you get used to that. Trust me; whilst everyday seems like an adventure, it's a routine adventure. Your quests are several hours long, rarely involve fatalities and tend to revolve around finding a decent coffee place.' She grabbed my hand in her two and squeezed it. 'Ah, this is so exciting...we should be friends. Definitely friends. In fact, I demand it. We can hang out and talk about our favourite foods we can't eat because TV face, and home and...everything. I hope you weren't planning on sleeping too much tonight.'

The phrase _couldn't get a word in edgeways_ came to mind, but it didn't bother me at all. She was like a ball of sunshine, it was impossible not to feel happy standing next to her. She was about an inch taller than me, and to my surprise was barefoot. She seemed to notice where I looked.

'Oh I hate shoes, you'll probably see more of my feet than you will of me!' she chuckled. 'I see you're not a heel person either.'

I tapped my heels together in my sneakers, 'They're an evil necessity, without them I don't think I'd be able to see some of the guys faces – I'd have to interview their nipples.'

Renee snorted delightedly at that. Everyone else around stared at her but she didn't seem to care in the slightest. It was like she was living in her own little bubble, and everything else was drowned out, didn't matter; what a perfect world to live in. She kept a hold of my hand and led me over to the welcome desks, both now happily devoid of queues.

'Can we check in please? Nora White and Renee Young.'

The man behind the desk had a handsome face, but a bored expression, and he obediently did as he was told, fingers click clicking away on the keyboard. He didn't even seem to see us, but when his head moved up, he looked right through.

'Room 446 ladies. Take the elevator up to the fourth floor and then head right.' he handed over two key cards to Renee. 'Please enjoy your stay in the Hampton Inn. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to call room service, just press one on the room phone and you'll be patched straight through.'

Renee, flicked a glance at me, and then to my utter surprise, she placed both hands on the desk, pulled herself upward, leaned forward and kissed the attendant right on the end of his nose.

'Why thank you sir, you have a very good evening. Myself and my lady friend shall sleep well knowing we're in such good hands.' She landed on the floor again, linked arms with me and winked at him. 'Smile and wave sweetie,' she muttered to me. 'Smile, and wave.'

Trying to stifle a giggle at his shocked expression, I waggled my fingers at him, a smile curling my lips. He swallowed and adjusted his tie, a stunned wave back at the two of us. Feeling particularly brave as we moved off, I blew him a kiss. I felt my face heat up as I turned away, Renee was shaking she was laughing so much.

'Oh I can tell you're going to be fun Nora,' she said and slapped my arm gently. 'I think I've been waiting for you for a long time.' we made our way to the elevator; the door was already closing, but someone seemed to spot us coming and caught it, forcing it open again. With a tired smile and blue eyes I couldn't mistake, I found myself turning pink, still fresh from my earlier embarrassments. Renee tugged me along and we ran the last few steps, ducked under his arm and into the elevator. 'Thanks Dolph!'

'Anytime.' He said and released the door. 'I see you met our newest recruit. What floor ladies?'

'Four please.'

He tapped it in, followed by a three. 'Looks like I'm below you both, what a lucky guy.'

'Oh stop.' Renee shoved him playfully. 'Forgive Dolph, he fancies himself a ladies' man.'

Dolph pretended to look hurt. 'Why Renee, I'm wounded. I prefer to think of myself as a gentleman, who appreciates the finer things.'

She rolled her eyes. 'If you say so Dolph.'

He turned his attentions to me. 'You're quiet tonight Sparky, couldn't keep quiet earlier. Sup?'

There it was again. _Sparky_. It was strange, coming from him I almost didn't mind it. It was just so different hearing it from another man's lips that I wasn't sure how to react. It had always been something I shared with Jake; his pet name for me. Dolph said it so naturally it was like he knew instinctually that was my special name. I leaned against the mirrored wall.

'Just tired I guess, it's been a long day.'

'She wore herself out flirting with the handsome one on the front desk.'

Dolph raised an eyebrow. 'The one who looked like a young De Niro or the hulk with the acne problem?'

'Harsh.' I accused. But I was met with a simple shrug.

'I call it how I see it. If people put more effort into how they looked, maybe there'd be no need for criticism. '

'Or pig-headedness?'

I hadn't realized we'd stopped, that the doors were open. I just glared at him. How could he be so shallow? I'd always just presumed vanity was his gimmick, but it was clear it seeped from his true character.

'Listen here Sparky, you can't talk. You stood there and let them play with your hair and paint your face on for you so looked shiny on screen. You know I'm right. You wanted to look hot so that people would like you.' He was holding the door again to prevent the elevator moving off. Why couldn't he just go? His earlier actions and kind words were being poisoned by the now and I wanted him gone. My arms were folded and I wondered if he had anything beyond the false tan.

'At least it's just for the screen and not stinking me up twenty four seven.'

His eyes narrowed a little. I could practically hear my own heartbeat. Refused to break the gaze we held. He wouldn't win this. I wouldn't let him. Eventually he let out an exasperated hiss and moved through the doors out into the corridor.

'Later Renee.'

No goodbye for me then. The doors closed and I realized I was standing bolt upright, my hands clenched into fists. Shaking a little.

'Wow.'

I'd almost forgotten she was there. Renee was in the corner, casually leaning, as if she'd just been watching the TV rather than two people in a lift. I felt too hot and unbuttoned my coat, tugged off my scarf and ruffled my stupid hair.

'What an arrogant...'

'Oh shut up you were totally into that.'

I stared at her. 'What?'

She didn't answer, but there was an annoying knowing look in her face, as if she'd just been told some great secret. With a catty grin she pulled me into an embrace.

'What's that for?'

'Can't I give my new best girl friend a hug?'

I pouted and huffed, but it did help calm me down a little. How had he managed to wind me up so much that I retaliated? It took so much normally to get me to even raise my voice, but there we'd been, and in three sentences or less he'd managed to ruin my first impression of him. I would have been perfectly glad not to have seen him again in that moment. The elevator stopped once more, and Renee tugged me out after her.

'Come on you. Let's settle in, up early for the both of us tomorrow.'

'Why where are we going?'

'The next two house shows are in New Jersey.'

'But that's over a thousand miles away!' I stopped and tried to calculate it in my head. 'Renee that's over a day's worth of constant driving, we'd have to leave...like now.'

She grinned. 'Don't worry your pretty little head. We have flights booked.'

'We do? I'm glad you know all this because no one's mentioned it to me.'

'Have you actually checked your phone?'

'Should I have?'

She shook her head. 'You've got a lot to learn sweetie. Your phone is your best friend. Check it often. Things change at last minute.'

I rooted around in my handbag, somehow locating the mobile under everything else. I pulled it free and noticed I had twelve unread emails, five texts and two missed calls. Renee leaned over.

'Ah the calls were me; I was worried about whether you'd get here or not.'

'Bother,' I muttered suddenly remembering. 'I didn't give Nikki my cell number...she said something about he and Brie and I going out for a meal tomorrow night.'

'I'll text it her if you like, when we get in the room I'll give you half my phone book, so you at least have a starting point if you need to get hold of people.'

I smiled appreciatively. 'Thanks Renee.'

'Anytime sweetie, now, rather than just lurking in this lovely corridor, I suggest we find our room, don't you think?'

It didn't take long. With a flick of the key card we were in. What awaited us was spacious, airy. The two double sized beds made me want to curl up under the covers immediately, and I realized just how tired I really was. It was basic, but stylish, with everything we could need, and at the foot of the beds, were our bags. I dashed over to where mine sat, tugging off my sneakers in the process, near falling over, unzipped, and scrambled through. Finally, I came across them. Renee looked at me in amazement as I tugged the purple fluffy slippers on my feet.

'I love my slippers, but dang girl.'

'I feel at home wherever I am as long as I have these.' I protested. She chuckled though and threw her coat onto one of the beds.

'Whatever makes you happy. Right. Phone.'

I handed it over without question. Shower, where was the shower. Renee sat cross-legged on her bed, a phone in each hand, expertly tapping away at lightning speed as I explored. Behind a smart black door, was a smart bathroom, with black cabinets and a massive mirror on the wall. Dreading my own reflection, I stood in front. Gazing back at me was a slender face, with the large dark eyes that I'd inherited from father. My hair was a little larger than normal from being caught out in the windy night. But I didn't look quite as rough as I'd thought which pleased me greatly. I shrugged off my clothes and after a few seconds of trying to figure out how it worked, stepped into the shower. The hot water melted everything away. Sweet smelling free shampoo and wash cleaned away the product and the worries. I always felt my best in the shower. In the end I just stood there, letting the water run all over me and trickle down my skin.

Time passed without me realizing until Renee banged on the door.

'There better be some hot water for me missy!'

With a tired smile, I turned everything off, stepped out and wrapped myself up in one of the fluffy bathrobes, twisted a towel around my hair and opened the door. I had to laugh. The robe was massive, it actually touched the floor. I'd had to roll the cuffs up just to see my hands, I knew I was small but dang. As soon as Renee saw me, she burst out laughing, a hand over her mouth and she plucked at the fabric.

'What a look! Maybe you should wear that to the Rumble?'

I struck a pose, managing to step on the hem as I did and near exposing my naked body to her, but somehow succeeded in maintaining most of my dignity. She shuffled past me into the bathroom and I moved over to the bed, sat down and found my phone winking at me. I pulled the towel off my head, started to dry with one hand as I checked the phonebook. Renee had made fast work, and it amazed me to see all the famous names now scrolling by. She'd put small hearts by the people she clearly liked, such as the Bella twins. She'd even made a favourites list, and a category for taxi ranks. The woman was organized. How would I live without her? Emails next – ah, boarding passes. At least I wouldn't be too stuck. Script updates, show times, meetings...how people could have a life outside the WWE was beyond me.

Finally I glanced at my messages. One from Brie;

_Hi Nora! I'm so sorry about earlier, blame Daniel for always getting in the wars! Renee sent me your number, and Nikki told me you'd agreed to dinner, can't wait to see you again. Sleep well! X_

Short and sweet.

Another from mother;

_Hello Nora. I hope your first day in your new job went successfully. Best wishes, Mother._

Hm.

Oh look, one from Stephanie!

_Congratulations Nora! Your first show went brilliantly; we can't wait to see you develop with us. We've lined up some backstage interviews for you to do at the Rumble, and some extra work for the WWE App, the schedule should have been emailed to you. See you soon, continue the good work! Stephanie McMahon._

I felt myself swell with pride. A well done from the boss? Well then, today definitely had to be celebrated. I looked across to the small black phone which sat on the room desk. A glance back to the bathroom, before I darted over and snatched the phone from its place and typed in one.

'Hello, room service? What can we do for you this evening?'

'Hello!' I near shouted. 'Sorry, hello, could I please order some food?'

'Of course ma'am, there should be a menu on the desk near the phone. What would you like?'

I knew without even looking.

'Could I please order a bottle of Champagne? And two tubs of ice cream, Ben and Jerry's if you have it!'

'Would you consult the beverage list and tell me which Champagne you would like ma'am?'

I snatched it up. Dang, most were way out of my price range. The cheapest on the list was one hundred and sixty dollars...but then, it was my special day. I'd never been one to spend much, and what good was saving money if you didn't have something special to spend it on?

'The Perrier-Jouët, please.' Pretty sure I'd pronounced that wrong, but never mind.

'A good choice ma'am. What flavour ice cream did you desire?'

Wow, this person was so polite. They did still exist. I felt myself frown, a thought drift to the conversation in the elevator. No. I wouldn't let him ruin this.

'Um, one Phish Food and one er...Karamel Sutra,' I felt daft saying it but the person on the other end of the line didn't appear to care. I found myself wondering if they were a man or a woman, the sound was a little dull and I couldn't quite tell.

'Is that everything ma'am?'

'Two spoons?'

They laughed. 'Of course. We'll have that up to you soon.'

'Thank you! Oh and...er, sorry, what's your name?'

There was a surprised pause. 'Jerry ma'am.'

I giggled at that. 'So I just ordered Ben and Jerry's from a man named Jerry?'

'My last name's Bennington.'

We both laughed. I couldn't help it. 'Thank you Jerry, thank you very much!'

'You're welcome. Enjoy your night.'

I hung up, feeling proud of myself, and stupidly happy. Remembering that I still had two more texts to read, I flounced back over to the bed. I lay on my belly, legs kicked up behind me, head in my hand, wet hair trailing everywhere.

One from Nikki;

_Hey Nors, I hope you settled into your hotel ok. I just wanted to apologize for what happened in the car, it all got a little tense and I hope it didn't make you feel uncomfortable at all. I'm really looking forward to us all getting to know each other a bit better tomorrow night. Take care!_

I'd been lucky. In so many hours, I could tell I'd made some friends; I'd been worried it wouldn't happen. I'd gotten along so well with everyone in NXT that I'd almost been scared to leave. But they'd urged me on. Told me it was for the best. The final text, and I looked at the name. I felt my stomach tighten a little as I opened it on up.

_Nora! Girl I watched you tonight and we're all so proud. It feels like it was just yesterday you first showed up in those striped sneakers of yours, unable to see past our chest hair. I just wanted to let you know we're all thinking of you, and know you made the right decision. It was tough letting you go, but we all wanted what was best, ya know? Hopefully we'll see you sometime soon, maybe we'll be moving on up in the future. Anytime you're back in Florida you'd better give a shout or there'll be trouble, ya hear? All our love from me and the guys, Sami. _

Forget Stephanie. Forget Vince. My Mother. Anyone. That had been what I was waiting for, what I needed to hear. It became very real to me then, what I'd left behind. That really, my best friend was still waiting in the wings, whilst I jumped ahead. It hurt, to know Sami was still in development with how insanely talented he was. But he was proud of me, him Nev, Charlotte, all of them. I missed them, but I had their approval.

The door knocked as Renee appeared out of the bathroom.

'Who could that be?' she asked, towelling her hair.

She reached for the door handle, and all I could do, was smile.


	6. Imperfections

**((A big thank you to everyone who has read this so far! It's the first time I've written an OC into a wrestling fic, I hope you all are enjoying Nora and her story!))**

I didn't want to wake up. It took a combination of my own alarm ringing in my ear and Renee tugging my legs out of the bed to even make my eyes twitch. I'd not realized how tired I was. How comfy the bed was. I wanted to curl up in it forever, not get up at the crack of dawn to get on a plane.

'But I don't wanna.' I muttered and slipped my legs back up under the covers, cocooning myself. A pair of hands tried to tug the blankets away but I clung on and had a rather bizarre flashback to my early teens. Mother always used to tear the duvet away to wake me up. But not in the playful way my roommate did.

'Come on Nora! Our taxi will be here in less than an hour, we have a breakfast buffet to munch through.'

'How can you still be hungry after all that ice cream?' I'd managed perhaps a third of a tub, but Renee had near eaten half of the Phish Food. I'd felt sick from over exposure to caramel and movement felt like too much. Or perhaps it was the champagne. The bottle had been emptied quickly, and to say we'd gotten very, very giggly was an understatement.

'Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.' Renee announced, somehow gained the upper hand and unearthed my head from the pillows I'd managed to rearrange in my sleep. 'Come on you. Clothes on, and let's hope they haven't run out of the good things.' With a flourish, she flung away the rest of my covers and found my in my night shorts and t glaring at her. 'Whoa girl, you are _inked_.'

I looked down at my body and loved every piece of line work and colour which smiled back at me. My parents were so conservative it had been my defiance. Jake had gotten his first inks when he was in college, my first on my eighteenth birthday on one of his rare visits home. He'd only seen the others on Skype. From the dragon sneering from my thigh, to the cherry blossom tree on my rib cage, hours and hours had gone into the big and the small pieces.

'How many do you have in total?'

'If I'm honest? I've lost count. They're important to me...they're how I express myself.' I sat up and ran my hand over my half sleeve, the ones on my wrists and lower arm, over my thigh and shins, my feet. 'They're my vice, my little obsession.'

'They look great.' Renee smiled, and promptly flung a dress in my direction. 'Now put this on, shove on some panties and let's get food.'

'And there I thought we were having a meaningful moment.' I muttered. It was so easy to just be yourself around Renee. Most people rendered me nervous, quiet. But there was something about her. It just pulled you out of your shell without giving you any choice in the matter whatsoever. The dress she'd thrown at me seemed to have come from my bag, indeed, the entire contents was on the floor as Renee searched through it. 'Excuse me miss, are you nosing?'

'I just had a thought.'

'And what's that?'

'Ah ha!' she held up a small booklet. 'Boarding pass. Sometimes they put them in your bags for you.' She bounded over and tapped me on the nose with it. 'Don't you go losing this miss, because like you said it's near a day's drive to New Jersey, and we don't have that.'

I snatched it from her hand. 'I won't I won't.'

'Good.'

Secretly, I was pleased she'd found it. I'd panicked the previous night about where to print everything off. It seemed someone had already sorted me out without my knowing. Perhaps I had a guardian angel watching over me. Or perhaps it was luck. Who really knew? I could use as much as I could get. I grabbed the dress and some underwear from the floor and ducked into the bathroom. Still feeling fresh from the long shower the night before, I had a quick wash and shoved myself into the clothes. I looked at myself in the dress, from all angles, left, right, a smile. Posing. I was pleased with my appearance. It had taken a lot of work to get to this weight, to be happy with myself. The dress was gorgeous, a lovely beige, woollen and warm, it reached my knees with long sleeves and a low neck. It was so soft. I giggled, but then, as I started to brush my hair, my smile faded.

Was I being vain?

There was nothing wrong with being happy with how you looked, was there? I chewed the inside of my mouth, and lowered the brush. My hands were on the sink edge as I started to critique my reflection. My nose was a too strong. My smile a bit crooked. That scar above my eyebrow was still prominent. There were imperfections. I wasn't a goddess. But that was alright. Though no matter what I told myself, what humility I tried to drink in, I felt stupid. Dolph's words from the previous night wouldn't leave me.

_If people put more effort into how they looked, maybe there'd be no need for criticism_.

If I didn't have those things, that nose, those lips, maybe I'd be more confident. I tried smiling in different ways, but no matter what I tried, the left side still was squint.

'You coming Nora or am I going to have to raid that buffet along?'

'On my way.' I called out. With a final brush of my hair, I left the bathroom, and my confidence behind.

'This all looks so good.' The little buffet table had silver trays filled with every delicious breakfast food you could imagine. I wanted pancakes. They looked delicious, thick and fluffy. Or there were muffins, hot from the over. Bagels with salmon and cream cheese. Bowls heaped with fruit and honey. We stood with our bowls and looked over at all. The pastries practically shone under the lamp; sweating butter. The grumble in my stomach wanted it all. But after the indulgence of the night before, I knew I had to behave. It was alright to have a treat every now and again, but when said treat is pretty much your entire sugar intake of the month...it was probably for the best I be reasonably good.

Renee seemed to have the same idea, because she grabbed a bowl of porridge and dribbled some honey and raspberries on top. Thinking it looked good, I copied, but substituted the fruit with banana and blueberry. Wholesome, nutritious and filling – the perfect breakfast. We made our way to one of the little round tables and sat on down, a jug of water already waiting. Surrounding us were other guests, but here and there were dotted wrestlers and other staff. I could see the Uso brothers a couple of tables away, munching their way through pancakes loaded with strawberries. If it weren't for their individual inks, they were identical down to the last hair. I popped a piece of banana into my mouth and looked about.

And accidentally caught the eye of Dolph.

He was stood in the buffet queue, patient, waiting his turn. He looked tired, his hair tied back wet from the shower, a pair of joggers and a hoodie his wardrobe of choice. Comfortable clothes. He certainly didn't look his best. I had to look away and found myself smirking.

'Someone looks like they woke up on the wrong side of the bed.' I muttered, and jerked my head over toward Dolph as I filled my spoon with porridge.

Renee glanced over. 'Looks like he's just come from the gym.'

'Doesn't look very presentable does he?'

'You're still sore about that aren't you?' she looked at me amazed. 'Would have thought you'd slept it off.'

'He was an ass.'

'Yeah, he was. But you seem a forgiving person so let it go.'

'He brought me into it. You heard what he said.'

'It wouldn't bother you if you didn't think it was true.' Renee put her elbow on the table and pointed at me with her spoon, honey drizzling from it. 'Look Nora I like you, but he was right. We do try and look our best so people like us. It's natural instinct. It's how we attract others. Ok, so he was being harsh about the kid on the desk. He's a tit for that, but if that's how he sees the world, then who are we to judge?'

Well didn't that tell me? I mumbled into my porridge and refused to meet her eye for a minute. It seemed I was the queen of uncomfortable silences, but when I stood up to take my bowl back, a sudden pain shot through my leg, and I fell back into the chair.

'Ah!' I reached down. I hadn't even thought about my leg. Hadn't looked at it since the car; it was red, throbbing, swollen. Not pretty.

'What's wrong?'

'Oh it's...it's nothing. Just caught myself last night at the University; don't worry yourself.'

Renee wasn't to be deterred, and she got up and crouched down next to me. She looked up.

'Nora that looks _awful_. How'd it happen?'

'Rusev pushed me into a light?'

'That looks nasty.'

We both glanced to the side. Dolph stood there, seemingly also part of the porridge club, his bowl in hand, forehead creased. Was that concern on his face? How sweet.

'Thanks for the compliment.'

'I mean it girl, did you say _Rusev_ did that to you?'

'He shoved me aside when he came off stage.'

'And you didn't get it looked at?'

'What's it to you?'

'Nora stop it.' Renee flicked my leg. 'Why didn't you see an EMT?'

'I didn't think anything of it.'

'Girl you need to have that looked at.' Dolph had placed his porridge on our table, uninvited, and crouched down next to Renee. I felt like a zoo exhibit. 'Pity, right through that rather dashing carp. He would have been eyeing me up if he wasn't now blind.'

'Oh hardy har har.' I muttered, irritated.

Renee finally stood up and put her hands on her hips, 'Nora it looks infected, you need to get it seen to before it gets worse. Or septic.'

'I doubt it's that bad.'

'Stand on it.'

Obediantly I stood up. I shrugged. Absolutely fine, I even attempted to twirl on the spot, but as soon as I twisted, pain shot through my leg once again, and I stumbled straight back into Dolph. He stood up fast and somehow managed to catch me.

'You're making a habit of this.' He joked.

'Or you just keep getting in my way.'

'Oh shut up and make out.' Renee snapped. 'Nora, I command you get that looked at. I'll call you a taxi for the hospital.'

'But our flight -,'

'I'll get you transferred.'

Dolph hadn't yet let go of me and I hadn't moved, but it was only when he spoke I even noticed.

'I'll take her.' I stared at him.

'Excuse me?'

'I'll go with you to the hospital. That way you won't be on your own and if you fall you'll have someone who can carry you.' He shrugged, as if it were all so matter of fact.

'Renee why don't you come?' I begged. But she shook her head.

'Sorry girl, I've got the JBL show to film today, besides, if Dolph's happy to give up his time then I suggest you take him up on it. I'll call and get your flights changed.' She rooted her phone out of her pocket, and walked away for better reception.

Somehow still in Dolph's embrace, I pulled back.

'Why are you doing this?'

'Well, I was an ass last night. I'm sorry about that. And two,' he held out his arms, presenting himself to me as if he were some sort of magnificent prize. 'I'm your carpool partner. So let's get driving Sparky.'

Damn.


	7. Getting Connected

The car ride was worse than the night before. The taxi driver didn't say two words to either of us, even though I silently begged for him to break the awkward stillness which hung over the three of us. Dolph sat to my left and stared absently out the window at the passing traffic, his chin in his hand, fingers twitched against his lips, elbow on the door. This was all so _easy_ for him wasn't it? He thought he could just make up for being a judgemental arsehole just by babysitting me to the hospital? Well. Maybe he could. But that was beside the point. Secretly, I was glad I wasn't alone for this trip, but wished I'd had Renee at my side, rather than the _Show Off_ himself. Why had we shared an elevator? He'd written himself into my good books in our first meeting...then scribbled all over it with vain remarks. His tan looked slightly duller today, made him less orange and more human almost. He stilled looked exhausted, and smelled a little like sweat, just as he had when I'd interviewed him. I made myself look out the other window, tried to ignore the throbbing in my leg. It was probably nothing. The hospital staff probably thought it was an over-reaction and I was inclined to agree. Back when I was a kid if I ever fell, my Mother would open the first aid box with pursed lips, smack a plaster on whatever was cut and send me on my way.

She never kissed it better. That's what I'd always asked for. That's what the other kid's Mother's did. But that was never her way. If Jake was there, he'd do it. His magic lips would kiss the pain away and I'd be a happy little kid for a couple of hours; but it wasn't Mother.

It was supposed to be the woman who gave birth to you who had that special power.

My hand lost itself in my hair, matting it in my fingers. The traffic was slow; our flight had been moved back a couple of hours, but it was still a four hour flight. The house show was in Trenton...that was an hour's drive. No doubt it would mean the man next to me would have to be the one behind the wheel – especially if my ankle turned out to be more than a plaster job. Self-consciously, I lifted the hem of my skirt and looked down at it once again. It looked, and felt, sore; stupid Nora hurting herself on the first day of work...I pouted and looked out the window once again. It was typical – I'd always been known for my clumsiness, and I couldn't even blame it on the high heels I'd been forced into. Barefoot at the time, barefoot and in the way. Of course. But even then, Rusev's behaviour was unacceptable – I realized that now by the reactions I'd received on telling people the cut's origin.

I found myself drifting back to the stony face of John in that car. The way he'd _looked_ at me, it was as if I'd just told him that Rusev had murdered orphans and offered them to me as soup; pushing a woman clearly as a step too far in the rulebook of Cena...and of Nikki, and Brie, and Dolph...I cast a look at him out the corner of my eye, to find that he was now on his phone. Fingers flicked across the screen with astounding speed.

'What are you doing?' curiosity; it always got the better of me – one of the reasons that I'd caught eyes as an interviewer, I asked questions without thinking too much of the repercussions of the words. Sure on screen they gave me a script, but if I had it my way I'd be asking what I wanted to know; the questions the fans had. I leaned across a little, my hair fell over my shoulders and the seatbelt strained.

He blinked and looked at me surprised as if he'd forgotten that I was there. It was only then, that I noticed his blond hair was tied back. I hadn't realized how long it was.

'Twitter, gotta keep on top of it.'

'Is it that important?'

He stared at me as if I'd asked the stupidest question on the planet. 'Er, yeah. It's one of the best ways for us to connect with the fans. I'm surprised they didn't really try and drill it into you when you were in NXT. It's one of the most important formats we have – social media is our weapon, and it's up to us to utilise it.'

I was taken aback, 'I don't think I _have_ a twitter.'

Another wide-eyed stare that in equal parts seemed to question my human origin, and whether or not I was actually a part of the modern era. I couldn't begrudge him it – the only reason I'd updated to a touch screen phone was because it was suggested to me, and that it would be far better at dealing with the demand of the job that my old Blackberry. I'd loved that phone – the keyboard was made for old typers like myself. I was an eighty year old woman in a twenty five year olds' body.

'Don't look at me like that...I only graduated to this a couple of weeks ago,' I muttered, and pulled the phone out of my pocket; I'd barely had time to grab my handbag and my coat before I'd been bundled into the taxi. Dolph had even carried my bags down for me. Renee was efficient to the t and made me feel rather inadequate. I had a lot of catching up to do, as well as learning, clearly. 'It's all new to me.'

'Well come here lemme set one up for you.' He practically snatched it from my hand. His fingers moved furiously and I watched in thinly veiled amazement. He didn't seem conscious of being watched, and chewed his gum widely as he did it. It occurred to me, that Dolph was unapologetic in everything he did – until he was called up on it. It was the first time I'd noticed the gum, but the way his mouth opened so wide you could near see it roll around made me feel a little sick inside. 'What do you want for a username?'

'Username?'

'The name you're known by on there, damn Sparky don't you know anything about the web?'

'Jake showed me Ebay once.'

He chuckled at that. 'Looks like I've got a lot to teach you. But that's alright; I'm a good professor as long as my students behave themselves.' He winked at me again; I wrinkled my nose at his cockiness. 'So username...how about...NWhite?'

'No.'

'SparkyWhite?'

'Definitely not.'

'RealNora?'

I thought about it for a moment. 'I like that...but wouldn't something like that be taken?'

For a moment he went quiet. 'Damn yeah...we'd have to be more specific. RealNoraWhite perhaps...or RealNoraSparks?'

I had to admit I liked the tone of the second option. But I didn't want to confuse anyone, and whilst I almost liked the way that he called me Sparky, I didn't want it to be something that everyone started using. The name was mine; special to me. He'd stumbled across it by accident, I couldn't just tell him to stop, otherwise he'd ask why. That story was mine too.

'RealNoraWhite, I think that works best.' I said with a decisive nod. 'Don't the WWE have to verify it?'

'They will. It won't take them long after you message them to say it is you – no doubt they'll probably email you first. They're normally pretty on the ball with this kind of thing.' He scratched the side of his face, a slight line of stubble on the jaw, showing his darker roots. 'Password?'

I grabbed the phone back and typed it in. I'd been told a long time before it would be smart to have separate passwords for everything, but when I'd clearly leave my legs behind if I didn't need them to walk on; having the one was just easier for me. Besides, it was something no one would ever be able to guess. Whilst I was at it, I typed in my email address then handed it back.

'Secret Miss Sparky,' Dolph chuckled. 'Right picture time.'

'Wait, what?'

But before I could object the camera was up in my face. 'Come on, show us that smile Sparky,'

I couldn't help it. It was just the way he said it, no matter how he annoyed me, no matter how he grated, there was that name that just softened me like ice cream in the sun. How was I so easily swayed? All by some silly nickname, and...it was just the way he said it, as if that was who I was. Something sparkly, something that shone in the dark. He said it as if it mattered. I felt my face relax, and I somehow smiled. It genuinely felt effortless, and by the time the picture was taken I wasn't sure whether it had been for the camera, or for him.

'Gorgeous.' He turned it around to show me. Ok for someone sitting in the back of a taxi with next to nil make up on, it didn't look so bad. I was even positioned so you couldn't see how my mouth crooked up on one side. 'You look real good Sparky, wasn't so hard was it?'

I shook my head, 'I guess not.'

After a minute or two, he handed the phone back. 'All set up and ready to go, why don't ya send out your first immortal words to the world eh?'

I bit my bottom lip, and stared at what lay in my hands. The power to be heard – or rather, read, but still it was another step on the ladder. Should I say what I was doing?

_In the back of a taxi on my way to Austin State Hospital for tripping over a lamp, ah well, LOL._

Somehow, no.

It was only when we reached the doors of the hospital, and Dolph was searching through his pockets for the fare that I really knew what I wanted to say.

I raised the camera, and took a picture, the sun behind his head.

_First day on the road with #heelziggler: a SHOW OFF a day, keeps the doctors at bay!_

Within a split second it was shared with the world. I hadn't noticed that he was out of the taxi until the door opened on my side and his head appeared in the gap.

'Well here we are, now let's get you checked out.' I accepted the hand he offered to pull me out. My ankle tingled and I found myself leaning against him for support. But he didn't seem to mind, even offered an arm for me to use as a crutch. With my skinny arm looped through his, we made our way through the A&amp;E doors. It seemed that even show offs, could be gentlemen, when they wanted to be.


	8. Class Transcendence

As it turned out, the cut had become infected, but it wasn't fatal, career ending or even that upsetting. I'd even been complimented by the doctor for the ink that swirled over my body. It was deep and wide, but hadn't hit anything, and just needed looking after. Dolph had insisted on coming into the room with me, and had lurked in the corner, arms crossed, eyes on what the doctor was doing at all times, as if he didn't trust me to handle the situation by myself. The doctor himself, a Dr Franks, was a kind old man, who clearly had a world of experience, and taped up my war wound gently as if I were a toddler; but I could tell from short glances at Dolph, he wasn't entirely convinced.

The doctor gave me some anti-inflammatory pills and I was sent on my way. Dolph let me use his arm once again and pretty much flung me into the same taxi we'd arrived in – the driver had kindly told us he'd wait, as he had a lunch break anyhow. Convenient for sure, but I couldn't help but suspect that Dolph had snuck a little extra whilst I'd been tweet debating to make things less painless.

It didn't take long for us to get to the airport. Only yesterday I'd stepped out of its doors for my first live show, and here I was the very next day coming back. It was a sign of what was to come; a never ending parade of planes and cars, visiting every single state, seeing every city. It was a travellers dream, though I knew there would be little time for sightseeing. There was too much to do, so much to rehearse. Dolph had found a luggage cart and pushed our bags along beside me – I almost felt bad; he was possibly missing out on practice time being with me, but he didn't seem to have any complaints (if he did he was keeping them tactfully to himself).

'Ok so first we need to check in...you got your boarding pass?'

I stopped and rooted through my handbag, pushed aside the world inside. I really needed to clear it out, there was a very limited number of times anyone could justify carrying around five different shades of lipstick. Finally, hidden at the bottom under a rather bruised apple, I found the very documents that Renee had managed to unearth before.

'Ta da!' I announced proudly. 'You got yours?'

As if by magic they appeared in his right hand and he waved the boarding pass in front of my nose, catching it a little. I wrinkled it, which he laughed at.

'So that was adorable, don't do it again. I may actually start liking you if you keep that up. Can't have us being friends now, can we?'

Arse.

It didn't take long for our passports and boarding passes to be accepted, and soon we were in the queue to be checked onto the flight. After standing in the wrong one three times, even though we'd been directed that way. Dolph was clearly beginning to get annoyed, and stubbornly refused to ask if we were finally in the right one. His hands were gripped hard around the bar of the trolley and his jaw set rock solid. I stood uneasily next to him, most of my weight on my uninjured leg. Thank goodness for my converses. The very thought of wearing heels at a time like this actually made me feel ill. The queue was slow, despite not being very long – at the very front was a young woman with iron straight dark hair who apparently hadn't read the rules for how much luggage was allowed without fees being applied.

'Oh god.'

'What?'

'Hide me.'

'Excuse me?' and I starred in shock as he actually physically ducked down behind our luggage trolley. 'What's gotten into you?' I hissed, body bent, but he looked up at me with what seemed to be genuine fear in his eyes. 'Do you know her?'

'Everyone knows her – I'm sure you do.'

I stood straight and glanced back to the front; and to my absolute surprise, realized, as she turned to look around, that it was Nikki. A quick glance found Brie not far away, eyes on her watch. So they were on this flight too! This was good news; at least I'd have someone to talk to, discounting Dolph, for the journey. _Of course_, we were going for dinner that evening; they'd have to be heading out today as well. They weren't on the house shows, I knew that much, so they must have had a few nights off before the rumble. Nikki didn't seem to see me, and it didn't take long for the crowd to move on, and Dolph to finally peep up from his hiding spot.

'Has she gone?'

'Yes. What on earth was that about?'

'Never date co-workers. It always comes back to bite you in the arse.'

'But Nikki's lovely.'

Dolph snorted. 'Is that what she's made you think? Mark my words, the Bella twins are trouble waiting to happen. They may seem sweet and innocent, but as soon as you cross them or disagree with them, they're your worst nightmare. I know from experience.'

He seemed convinced of his words, but I most certainly wasn't. 'They've been so kind to me, I'm even going out for dinner with them tonight. I won't hear a single _syllable_ against them, do you understand Dolph? I don't want to lose friends before I've even made them properly just because you're terrified of confronting your ex.'

He ignored me, but continued to look about him like a frightened animal. Paranoid as anything. What possibly could Nikki have said or done to make him act like this? She'd seemed very genuine to me; and from what I'd seen of her and John, she could be very affectionate in a relationship. The way she'd smiled at me, how she'd told me she'd look out for me...I found it difficult to believe that she was someone to be scared of. Of course, like all the Divas, she was a wrestler, a physically powerful woman, but I wasn't afraid of her. She'd given me absolutely no reason to be.

It didn't take too long after that to reach the counter. The man behind the desk looked so bored with life that it was hard not to feel sorry for him.

'Tickets and passports please.'

Dolph had snagged mine earlier, and handed them over in a mixed up bundle. It drew a deep sigh from the attendant, who took far longer than the couple of seconds needed to sort everything out. He looked through everything, scanned, typed. He could have been a handsome man if not for the attitude; he had a strong jaw, short blond hair, neatly kept, with a neat beard and pleasant brown eyes. But he just didn't seem to even _care_ that he was serving customers. It was clear customer service was not high on his priority. However, a couple of seconds into what he was doing, he stopped, and then looked at Dolph's passport once again.

'Wait, Dolph Ziggler?'

A short nod from the man to my left.

The attendant suddenly had a new lease of life. It was as if someone had plugged him into the mains. He perked up, and without being invited to, he thrust his hand over the top of his desk, standing up from the chair.

'Big fan Mr Ziggler, even when you were back wearing the green and white. Cheerleading days are long gone for you right? You should have seen my mrs the other night when Cena won that match to rehire you – she went ballistic.'

'Thanks – must admit I was pretty happy myself. Didn't too much fancy the unemployment line.'

Practically ignoring my existence, the man wasn't going to be happy until he got his handshake, which Dolph reluctantly accepted. His day clearly made, the attendant sat back down and started preparation once again.

'Let's see let's see...looks like you've been upgraded sir, to first class.' Finally, he seemed to spot me, I mean I knew I was short, but I wasn't invisible. 'Oh and here's your economy ma'am.'

'Oh, thanks.'

He made to hand our tickets back over, but Dolph shook his head and pushed them back.

'She's with me.'

'Oh...well let me have a look see...' after a minute or so, the attendant shook his head. 'I'm afraid that first class is full Mr Ziggler, there's no room for another.'

'Then give me economy, and bump up some fortunate soul.'

I looked up at Dolph in amazement. Why on earth would he do this? I could only dream of first class, and here he was, giving it up to slum it down in economy with me? It didn't make sense – I knew originally I'd been in business class on the first flight, but it must have been the best Renee could do in swapping the flights. I didn't begrudge her for it, not at all. In many ways, economy was what I was used to – it was what I used to fly to Florida and back home to Montana back in my NXT days.

'Are you sure sir?'

'Yes.'

The attendant was as surprised as I was, but did as he was told. I could hear the people behind us start to moan, and my ears turned pink. I hated waiting as much as the next person, but when I was causing the problem...I felt like I needed to do something to rectify it, but my brain gave me no words; only a short cluster of half mumbled apologies to the couple behind us. Dolph however, dutifully ignored them. It was almost like he could tune out what he didn't want to hear; an incredible, yet selective ability, that I knew could be as insulting as it was annoying.

'Well...that's all done then Mr Ziggler. I'm sure you just made someone's day.'

'Mhm.'

'If I could have your bags please.'

Finally, after everything had been weighed and measured, we were allowed through. Dolph walked a little slower so I could keep up with him, but I could tell from the focus in his eyes, his thoughts were elsewhere. I wanted answers, and as fast as I could hobble, I managed to catch his arm and tug him to an abrupt halt.

'You didn't have to do that Dolph.'

He shrugged. 'Couldn't just leave you all on your own – not fair.'

'But -,'

He silenced me with a finger to my lips. 'It's done. So now you're just going to have to put up with me for the flight to. Think you can handle that Sparky?' he didn't wait for an answer, and peered about him. We'd somehow managed to wander into the food court without me even noticing, and despite the porridge breakfast earlier, my stomach rumbled. I blinked my hands on it in surprise. It drew a laugh from Dolph though.

'I know the feeling.' He pointed ahead at a crepe stand. 'There; that is where we're going. You have no choice. I'm feeling strawberries and nutella and you can't stop me.'

He charged ahead and left me with my hands on my hips, eye stared after him, and I honestly couldn't help but smile.


	9. Stack 'Em High

To say the plane was snug was an understatement, and I very quickly realized how glad I was that Dolph had allowed me the aisle seat because of my foot. He was squashed between myself and a rather overweight gent who snored like an ox. Dolph however, didn't appear to mind too much. Almost as soon as we were seated and belted into place, he pulled a headphone coil and his iPod from his pocket, plugged himself in, leaned back and closed his eyes. I wasn't one to deny anyone of a snooze, napping was fast becoming my favourite past time, the little amount of sleep I got. He almost looked peaceful, off in his own little dream world. Perhaps he was dreaming of spray tans, or Florida beaches. My first day on the job in NXT they'd recommended I at least get a light tan – not hard for most in the heat, but I refused. Call me old fashioned, but I just didn't see the appeal in lighting up the screen like a tangerine.

I eased myself into the red chair and glanced about at the dozens of other people on the flight to good old Philly. Dolph and his magic fingers had already managed to sort a hire car for us at the end of it all, and he'd graciously agreed to act as chauffer. There was nothing wrong with my ankle, not really, I was pretty sure I could drive for an hour, but still, beneath those grey-blue eyes he could be a gentleman. If he really tried. Maybe he was just trying to buy his way back into my good favour, if that was the case – he was doing a good job I had to admit it. Blocking me out for the entire journey would possibly lose him points. My phone slept in the bag at my feet and I tried to get comfortable, my head against one of the seat cushions, but no matter how I adjusted myself, no matter which way I faced, it just wasn't happening. I huffed, I sighed, I even yawned deliberately to try and summon the netherworld of naps. I envied Dolph then; he seemed to have the ability to fall asleep wherever he was. Was he really out of it? He seemed so...wasn't moving. I cautiously reached out and waved in front of his eyes slowly. Nothing.

'Dolph?' I asked softly. Again, no response, perhaps he couldn't hear me over the headphones. They were the sort that you placed inside your ear, and looked like a nightmare waiting to happen. I clearly didn't need any help injuring myself, and I could almost see future hospital trips to have an ear bud like that removed. Reasoning that if he was indeed fast asleep that he wouldn't need both headphones in and that I wasn't doing any real harm, I gently plucked one of the blue headphones from his ear. He didn't move. My teeth bit down on my bottom lip, and I turned my head to the front, pushed it into my own ear – only after I'd done it thinking about the fact that we were now sharing ear wax. Gross.

But when I started to listen, I realized to my complete and utter surprise that I knew who blasted through the speakers.

With a squeak I sat up in excitement, the bud popped out of my ear, and pulled free from Dolph's own, and he jolted away, eyes flickered and he felt instinctively for the headphones.

'What just happened?'

'Mötley Crüe!' I grabbed his arm and beamed at him, eyes screwed shut, a smile on my mouth that could have belonged to a three year old. 'I didn't take you for a Crüe fan at all! What's your favourite album? My brother got me into them when I was little...always had such a thing for Nikki Sixx, maybe that's where the ink obsession came from!'

He almost looked scared of me when I finally opened my eyes. But then his face collapsed and he started to laugh. The overweight man next to him snorted, his lips smacked and a line of drool rolled down his face as he turned away. Dolph ran a hand through his dyed blond hair and looked up at the lights above us, as if taking himself back to some before date.

'I think that's the most you've said to me in one go Sparky.'

'Details, details!'

He looked down at my hands, nails near spearing his muscular arm, but I didn't let up. This was uncharted territory; I'd certainly made friends for my music tastes back in NXT, but the chances of finding someone into the Crüe at random, especially someone who I'd have to spend as much time with as Dolph, was brilliant.

'Yeah love them; getting into hair bands too...you can thank Jericho for that.' He looked down at his iPod, and flicked through. I tried to lean over and have a nose, but he pulled it away so that I couldn't see. 'Nosy.'

'I just wanna see if your excellent taste continues.'

'That's for me to know and you not to find out.' He said and put a finger on my forehead to push me back; I was near standing up in my seat, the belt straining against my waist. It hurt, and I hadn't even noticed until I was sitting down like a good girl once again. 'Got some Manson on here, Dropkick Murphy's, Poison, Steel Panther...not in that order, obvs.'

I stared at him. It was a curious thing to hear someone rattle off the music you loved out of the blue. I wasn't even looking at the iPod anymore, just at him. He seemed totally engrossed and after a couple of seconds I couldn't even hear what he was saying anymore. It was just a jumble of words that didn't matter because the man had somehow managed to earn himself a heck load of points. Music had always been my escape – when things became difficult, and when I'd heard the word _no, no, no_ a thousand times too many, I'd just plug myself in, lay down on whatever bed that was offered and let the world blast away. Perhaps I was just a walking archetype – the tattooed rocker chick. But that didn't bother me. Growing up in Montana to conservative parents who didn't like anything different from their own dull lives was one thing; if Jake hadn't been born first there may have been a very different story. He'd been determined to be different.

'Why are you looking at me like that?'

I'd been a fan of his. Marked out at his matches, watched with wide eyes at the level of skill he showed, winced at some of the incredible bumps he took. Dolph Ziggler was a wrestler. A man I'd seen on the TV. He was right there next to me. But I'd forgotten just who he was; he was so human, so easy to touch. His flesh in my fingers was real, the confusion in his eyes was really there. No TV screen separated us, and I knew I was seeing the man behind the Show Off. I didn't like everything that was there for sure; but what had happened so far that day and now this...well it was a start.

'We should be friends.'

He regarded me with suspicion, 'I tried that. You didn't like what I had to say last night, remember? What if we try and talk something heavy. You just gonna bust my balls all over again?'

'I didn't say best friends.'

'If I say yes will you let go of my arm?'

I nodded, but didn't loosen my grip. Given how hard I held him, when I did eventually let go he was probably going to have my fingerprints embedded into his skin. What skin – it was soft, like he bathed in moisturiser every night...and it wouldn't have surprised me at all if he did. He still smelled like sweat – not given enough time to shower because of the cripple to his left. He'd given me hours of his day, and I gave him minutes back. A fair trade.

'Alright.'

With a broad grin I gave him freedom. He raised his arm above his head a little as if trying to get the blood flowing. Then, to my surprise, he turned off the iPod, rolled up the headphones and pushed them into his pocket. He turned in his seat to face me as best he could, arm on the rest and head propped up by the other. Mischief flashed in his eyes and I leaned back a little, wondering whether or not to trust that grin.

'So, _friend_. Tell me about you.'

'Me?' I replied incredulously. No one ever wanted to know about Nora White. Why would they? There was nothing to tell.

'I don't see anyone else right now.' He said, and true to his word, his gaze didn't even flinch from me as an air hostess stalked by. He shrugged. 'We have a couple of hours, and I'm in the mood for a life story.'

'Why don't you tell me yours?'

'You already told me everything about me yesterday. Today is Sparky day.'

I shifted uncomfortably. I didn't really like to talk about myself – it seemed such a dull subject when everything that happened around me was so exciting. I'd fallen into a world that never stopped moving, and now, confronted with a simple request, I felt like time had jumped to my feet and frozen everything.

'Um...well. My name is Nora Gabriella White...I'm twenty five...I'm a Taurus...'

'You're making this sound like we're speed dating.'

'Damn, seen straight through me.'

'Come on make it entertaining. Where you from?'

'Winnett, Montana.'

'What's there?'

'Nothing. It's practically a ghost town. Only like...a hundred and eighty people live there, I know them all by name and birthday. It's great for hunting though so every now and again people go through for deer or elk...definitely not a tourist spot. It pretty much generally sucked all of the time.'

'Is it pretty?'

'It's in the middle of nowhere and everything looks like it's breaking...but its home.' I shrugged. I tried not to think of my hometown. It seemed so far away now, like it was on another planet or something. I'd managed to drag my ass out of the dust and into the limelight, I sure as hell wasn't going back. 'Jake always said we should be proud of the dirt we came from. I guess I am, but that's a hell of a lot of dirt.'

'Jake?'

I looked away from him. My hands looked interesting. Far more interesting than the question which so obviously hung in the air. The constant chitter chatter of the other passengers was interesting too. That couple behind us with their plans to breed turkeys sure had good turkey breeding plans. Oh and that woman over there, yes, yes she really did need medical attention because of that obviously put on cough, just to get away from the screaming child next to her (was it hers?).

'Hey, Sparky.' He tapped my arm.

'Next question.'

He blinked, but thankfully didn't pursue, and I was grateful.

'What are your parents like?'

Family...again.

'Pass.'

'Any pets growing up?'

'A fat Persian cat named Jasmine – she was my grandma's. Our house had belonged to her, but we'd always lived there. She died when I was four and left us with the white fur ball. She was ok, hated being woken up...guess we have that in common. She lived forever,' I tapped my chin with a finger and looked up in thought. 'I think she was like twenty when she finally went? Old kitty. God she smelled...but I loved her in my own funny way. She had this thing, where she could always tell if you were sad, and she'd come along and just sit on you. She wouldn't budge, and you just had to pay her attention until you forgot what you were upset about...' I smiled. 'I miss that.'

Dolph smiled, but it seemed he still wasn't satisfied.

'Where did you go to school?'

'What is this? Twenty questions?'

'Maybe.' He rubbed his chin and shrugged once again. 'It's keeping me entertained so we best carry on, I can be a real bitch when I'm bored.'

_I don't doubt it_, I thought to myself.

'So, where'd you go to school?'

'I didn't. Home schooled.'

He made a face then, 'Winnett such a ghost town there's no school?'

'No no, there's a school. WISD...it's just my parents didn't let me go.'

'How come?'

'That counts as one of your twenty.'

'Fine.'

I sighed. My fingers slid through my hair and I twisted it into curls that didn't want to exist. He was a nosy bastard...but I knew I'd brought it on myself. He was right – I knew all about him...well what I'd seen over the years. Wasn't it only fair we traded information? Perhaps if we knew each other a little better, we might get along easier. Perhaps.

'Mother disapproved of the school because my father was one of the teachers there. She thought it was inappropriate for me to be taught by him.'

'I guess that makes sense. She thought he'd show favouritism?'

'Oh no, she thought I wouldn't make it to first grade.'

'Oh.'

'That's ten questions so far. Think about the last very carefully.' I said and held up my hands, waggled my fingers to illustrate just what he had left. Despite it, I was actually enjoying myself a little bit. He was easy to talk to, and whilst I hated just how much I was telling him, it just came out before I had a chance to filter it. Private didn't quite cover it; I'd made it as far as I had with most not knowing a thing, perhaps with the exception of Sami. He'd be proud of me now, for actually sitting down and talking about myself. I watched as Dolph rubbed his jaw in thought, clearly mulling over just what he wanted to know. This was possibly his only chance, so he had to make it good.

'Have you ever killed anything before?'

I blinked. Well, I guess it was better than _what's your favourite pizza topping_. 'Yes. I've hunted; I was taught by my neighbour Harry how to use a crossbow, he used to take us out with him. His wife Annie always made up these great stews with whatever we caught. But human wise? Not yet, give me time...see if you annoy me more.'

'Hey I'm not gonna actively annoy a lady with a crossbow.' He held up his hands defensively but grinned, 'Not gonna say I really agree with the killing the innocent woodland animals thing, but the idea of you holding a crossbow is pretty hot. I'll keep that image if you don't mind.'

'Be my guest.' It came out slightly squeaky. I swallowed it down. 'Next question.'

'If you could meet any former president, who would it be?'

'Roosevelt.' I said without hesitation. 'Just so I could meet his wife. There was this thing she said,' I held up my right arm. From the inside and spiralling round to my wrist, words were inked forever in script: _no one can make you feel inferior without your consent_. I read it out loud to him. 'I try and live by that.'

Dolph cocked his head to the side so he could better look at the tattoo, and nodded appreciatively.

'What was your first tattoo?'

I giggled at that, couldn't help the slight wave of heat that passed through my face.

'Butterfly, inner thigh.'

He raised his eyebrows. 'Now that requires a story.'

'Must it?'

'Hey hey don't break the rules. I'm the one asking questions here missy.' He waggled a finger at me.

'My parents hate tattoos, it was the only place I could think of that they'd never see, and I always wanted to be a butterfly – they're stunning, and they're free. I guess...when I was younger I felt pretty trapped in a place like Winnett.'

I'd put down a thumb and two fingers on my left hand when he'd asked. Seven to go and the whole ordeal would be over. I wiggled the remainders left at him and winked.

'Running out of digits Dolph.'

'Do you have any weird skills, like party tricks?'

'Apart from the mean shapes I throw on the dance floor?' there were no shapes. It was normally safer if I stayed in one spot and bobbed about a bit. Moves required at least some kind of co-ordination and rhythm. I possessed neither. 'I'm really bendy.' To illustrate my point, and without so much as flinching, I bent the fingers back on my right hand. They moved freely. 'It's called hypermobility, a bit like being a contortionist...just without the big jars. Like I can bend my knees backwards...it's one of the reasons I'm so clumsy, because sometimes it just happens and I fall flat on my face.'

'That is one of the most awesome things I've ever seen. I demand to see the knee trick when we're off this plane and surrounded by padding.'

Well I wasn't suspecting that – most people recoiled from the sight or called me a freak. It was quite refreshing to be accepted for it. 'I inherited it from my Father.'

The large man next to Dolph snorted and turned again, this time to face both of us, his head slipped and very nearly landed on Dolph's shoulder. The wrestler winced and leaned forward as far as he could to avoid being slobbered on. He was so close our noses nearly touched until I shuffled back a little in my seat.

'Any chance of trading seats?'

'Not a chance.' Two more fingers down. 'Your next question needs to be worth a pinky.'

'Ok let's go to the basics for this one...what would your last meal be?'

'Oh that's easy. Buckwheat pancakes with Nutella, strawberries - served warm. That'd be a starter...then for main it'd be an elk burger, double cheese, curly fries with all the rocket I could eat and desert would be huckleberry macaroons. If I'm dying I'm having all the calories and you can't stop me.'

'Damn girl. How you so tiny?'

'Amazing restraint, and knowing the sad truth that fat girls don't get hired by the WWE.' I shrugged. 'I knew I'd have to be in the shape of my life, so out went the curly fries, in came kale, I bought a juicer and my frenemy is the elliptical.' Whilst I'm sure calling me tiny was a compliment, I didn't buy it and I didn't want it. Healthy was what I aimed for, not skeletal. There was nothing wrong with being small, as long as it gave out the right messages. I wanted to be heard, not just for what I said, but for what I did. 'Four questions left!'

'Your top five shag list?'

'Nikki Sixx, obviously, Jared Leto, Tom Hiddleston, Jennifer Lawrence because _damn_ and without question the Crow, because watching that was the first time these ovaries knew anything other than cramps.'

' Nice. And he doesn't count, he's a comic book character.'

'Does that matter?'

'It does in this game.'

I chewed the inside of my mouth. This was more difficult than I'd thought. 'Damn so that takes out the backup plan of Mulan...ok then Danielle Harris. Because I know for sure she's a scream queen.'

'You being serious right now or just fucking with me?'

'You'll never know. That counts as a question by the way.'

'Damn.'

'Two questions left Dolph.'

'Your favourite wrestler of all time?'

I shook my head, and didn't put down a finger, 'I don't have an answer for that – I chose to appreciate every single one of your guys for your commitment and the time you spend and your devotion to the sport. I think it's selfish of people to declare someone their favourite just because of their looks or their status.'

Dolph actually clapped his hands at that. 'Thank you. Too bad you didn't say me because you might have got something more than a clap, but it's good to hear someone say something so sincere. The amount of bullshit you get is unbelievable. So do I still have two questions left?'

I nodded.

'Hmm...are you religious?'

'Raised Catholic, but I guess the same as everything else, I wanted to escape it. I still believe there's something else, something more. But whether that's of my own making or of someone else's design I don't know. I think it's good to have a little faith though, makes you more open to possibilities when miracles do happen, you know?' there was only a thumb left. 'Last chance Dolph.'

He didn't even hesitate this time.

'What's your dream?'

'I'm living it,' I said with a shy smile. 'All I ever wanted when I was small was to be a part of the WWE. I wanted to be heard, when you come from a small town with no prospects, it's easy to think you'll never amount to nothing. But I made a promise that I'd chase what I wanted, and I'd never give up until I had it in both hands...and I've finally made it.'

'Sounds to me as if you need a new dream.'

'Well no one asked you Mr.' I punched his arm gently. 'Next time it's my turn.'

'Nah.' He sniffed and shuffled against the seat. 'Don't feel like it.'

'No fair!' I shoved him, and watched in amusement as he slipped back against his neighbour and managed to obtain drool on his shoulder. 'Ew.'

'I'll get you for that Sparky.'

'I'm an injured party, you can't harm me. It's against the rules.'

'What rules? I've seen no rules.'

'I'm writing them right now.' I sat back in my seat and closed my eyes. 'They're ever so fun. You'll love every single one of them.'

'Great.' I heard him grunt.

The noise of the plane soon started to drift. It was strange how you could push the din away when you felt so at peace. In a way, opening up to him was just as freeing as my very first ink. I breathed in deeply, feeling calm for the first time in days, and after all the questions, it was definitely a nap well earned, next stop, Philadelphia.


	10. Waiting On Beauty

**((Thank you to everyone who is following the story! It's great that people are (hopefully!) enjoying it – please review so that I can know your thoughts, thank you!))**

Every single item of clothing I owned was thrown all over the room. Renee was out, I had the space to myself and I well and truly needed some feminine guidance. Sat on the edge of my bed, head in hands, my hair was tied back, face devoid of make-up and I had little to no idea what I was doing. The shower had been refreshing after the cramped plane and the car ride to the hotel, but now that I was clean the next step was the hardest. I wanted to call Renee – but she was a busy woman. I couldn't just plead with her to drop everything to help me get ready for a dinner – what kind of child would that make me? I could dress myself, but I didn't want to screw this up. Brie and Nikki had been so kind to me that I wanted to make a good second impression. This dinner was my chance to properly try and connect with the two of them. They were both so glamorous naturally that whatever I did to try and match would be inferior...I swallowed and forced myself to really look at what I'd brought.

My bathrobe was tied securely at my waist and I almost didn't want to leave its comfort. But somehow I didn't think I'd be allowed into a fancy restaurant in it. Brie had texted me an hour before to tell me where to go. I'd already arranged at the hotel reception for a taxi to pick me up. Our reservation was for eight – I only had a couple of hours before the taxi arrived and to say I was beginning to panic a little was an understatement.

Why was this sort of thing so hard? Was I just making a fuss? It was definitely a possibility.

I took a deep breath and looked at each item in turn. Most of my clothing was rather plain: blocked colours, black...occasionally something sparkled up at me. I liked for things to be able to go together, the more clothes I had that could be worn with other things the less I needed. In theory. Right then I could have run screaming into the nearest boutique and snapped up the entire store.

Something smart – but fun, I didn't want to look like I was heading for a meeting. This was supposed to be just a good, casual dinner. What was a casual colour? Blue...blue had always been a calm colour for me – bar that tiny dress from the previous night. Blue went with most colours. Ok, that was a starting point.

Just the rest of the outfit to go...

I damn near sprinted down the stairs. Stupidly deciding against my better judgement, I'd chosen heels – which hung from my fingers, my bag in the other hand, a little black clutch with a silver clasp. People stared at me as I darted past, dodged round them as well as I could. Had they never seen an Italian in a hurry before? I skidded to a halt at the doors, checked for a final time I had my room key, phone, purse...all present and correct. Before I'd even stepped outside, the cold New Jersey air hit me like a tonne of bricks. Should have picked a thick coat – instead I'd gone for a bright blue blazer. Quickly I forced the matching heels onto my feet – no pedicure for this girl. Somehow, I managed to gain balance, pushed through the door and found that bright yellow taxi waiting for me. The driver looked at me through his half open window, his breath clouded against the cold.

'Miss White?'

'Yes, that's me. So sorry I'm late -,'

He shook his head. 'No worries. Only just got here myself – had to drive slow, roads are icy.' He got out, and like a true gentlemen, opened the back door for me. 'My name's Frankie and I'll be your chauffeur this evening.'

I grinned as he saluted. 'Thanks Frankie.'

I tried to manouver myself as gracefully as I could into the cab, without falling in headfirst. When would I learn that I should never wear heels? It was an accident waiting to happen. My ankle was swollen and as I landed inside, I rubbed it tenderly. Wearing shoes like this with a bad foot and ice was quite possibly the stupidest thing I'd ever decided. Frankie found himself back in front, and as soon as we were both belted, we were off. I'd never been to New Jersey before, and the Wyndham Garden hotel was soon left behind. Trenton itself was somewhere I knew would always be a mystery – I'd arrived as the sun was beginning to dip in the sky, and I knew I would leave before morning was over. It seemed such a shame to never stay in one place for too long.

As it turned out, I could have walked.

The Settimo Cielo was just a street away; if I'd walked I would have been there in four minutes flat. As it was, it took around eight because of traffic – it seemed people were all too aware of the ice. But I wasn't worried – Frankie was a pleasant driver, and he chatted away about how he was looking forward to his shift ending so he could go home and see his wife for the first time in two weeks – she'd been away to Utah to visit her mother. When we arrived, he opened the door for me, thanked me kindly as I handed over the fair for the five minute drive, and in return handed over a card.

'If you ever need a ride Miss White, remember me – best cabby in NJ.'

I smiled, 'Will do Frankie, thank you.'

'Will you need picking up later?'

'I think I can manage the walk. Have a good night!'

He waved as he drove off, and I stood in front of the doors to the restaurant, took a deep breath, and walked in, praying to whoever was listening that the twins were already there. I stood nervously and looked around – the restaurant was warm and inviting – busy. One of the servers spotted me and hurried on over.

'_Ciao, _a table for one?_'_

It was clear from the accent that _hello_ was possibly the only thing he knew of Italian. I behaved myself, and resisted the urge to babble away in my father's language to him.

'I have a reservation? With Nikki and Brie Bella?'

He looked down at a clipboard in hand.

'Ah here we are.'

'Are they here yet?' I asked as he led me to the back of the restaurant. Just next to a couple sharing tiramisu, stood a table with three allocated chairs. But no Bella twins, 'Oh.'

'Would you like to order a drink whilst you wait?' he asked.

Somewhat compelled to sit down, I nodded. They were probably just stuck in the same traffic I'd been caught in – after all, they were in a different hotel from me. No need to panic.

'White wine please - large.' I didn't normally drink a lot, but if anything could quell the nerves, that was it.

'Would you like to see the wine list?'

'Surprise me.'

He nodded and bustled off. Within minutes he'd swapped my medium sized glass with a larger one, poured the wine expertly and presented me with a menu. I took a large gulp, and thought to check my phone. But no messages. _Just stuck in traffic girl, stop your worrying_.

I was a good half way through the glass when the door opened once again. But no. I glanced to my phone again. Nothing. Nada. Not even a peep. Surely...no don't think such things. They were on their way. They'd booked the table, so they knew it was tonight. They knew where it was. They were just running late. That was all. It happened. Still; a little strange that they hadn't tried to contact me. I peered around the other diners. They all seemed happy, enjoying their food. It was a pretty restaurant, and the staff were friendly, the server came back to check on me after I'd been seated for a good fifteen minutes.

'Everything alright ma'am?'

'Yes,' I answered in a tiny voice, '...they haven't contacted the restaurant at all have they?'

He shook his head, clearly pitying me. 'Afraid not ma'am.'

'Oh.'

'Would you like another glass of wine?'

'Yes.'

I straightened my blue blazer, tried to sit as upright as possible; tried to exude the confidence I clearly wasn't feeling.

_...the Bella twins are trouble waiting to happen._

No. No they weren't they were kind to me. I felt like such a little girl; abandoned just because people were running late. A second glass of wine was poured and my stomach rumbled.

As half an hour of waiting approached, I felt stupid. Had I been duped? Another check of my phone. The wine was already going to my head – good wine. It was strong, but had a sweetness that pleased my tongue. With a hesitant thumb, I connected to twitter. In the car on the way to Trenton, I'd dedicated myself to following as many of my co-workers as possible. Dolph himself had insisted he was the very first I followed. There was one from him now:

_Killed it tonight, #STOLETHESHOW and your clothes._

I couldn't help but smile. I'd known he was first up – against Wade Barrett – or Bad News Barrett as he was currently known, yet another famous face I was yet to meet. A sudden thought struck me – I could tweet the girls, to find out if they were on their way. My thumbs hovered. Was it too pushy for me to ask?

_Dinner date with the Bellas – just two things missing..._

The door opened.

'Nora!' I looked up, and saw as two bodies rushed toward me. Two stunning faces, fully made up, their clothes immaculate. 'I'm so sorry we're late – the traffic's terrible tonight, and then I dropped my phone...I'm so sorry.'

I deleted my tweet. A smile exploded on my mouth, I stood and let Brie embrace me. She smelled incredible – like flowers in bloom. As soon as the hug was over, Nikki took her turn. Everything was alright now. They were here.

'I'm so hungry...' Nikki moaned as they took their seats. 'Hope you've brought an empty stomach Nora, because I'm looking at three courses right now.'

'Always!'

'Looks like you've been here a while,' Brie bit her lip,' I'm so sorry Nora.'

'It's alright, don't you worry. I amused myself with wine.'

'Excellent idea. What are you drinking?'

'I have no idea. But it tastes good.'

'Then we shall have a bottle of what tastes good,' Nikki said with a chuckle. What a most fantastic idea.


	11. Of All The Words

**((Thank you everyone for waiting for this next chapter! I'm sorry for the long gap between postings, work has been claiming my soul for the past few weeks. I hope you enjoy it, what's next for Nora?))**

The twins were sticklers for eating well – it was clear to me from their bobbed eyebrows when I ordered a large bowl of carbonara that carbs were the mortal enemy of the Bella twins. Perhaps I shouldn't have – after all I'd eaten a good half a tub of ice cream only the night before. But I wanted it – if only to quell the growling of my gut. I'd waited on an empty stomach, and I wasn't about to sit around feeling hungry for the sake of a tiny stomach. They settled on beautiful looking salads, complimented with our bottles of what tasted good.

'So Nora, tell us, what brought you to the WWE?' Nikki asked as she licked her lips before taking a sip of wine – a trick to stop her lipstick staining the glass. I'd learned that from my own mother years before. 'The fame? Fortune? Sexy men half naked half the time?'

Her very words sent my brain spiralling back to interviewing Dolph and near falling headfirst into his sweaty torso. There wasn't anything sexy about that, and I wrinkled my nose at the thought.

'I wanted to be heard, coming from a small town like Winnett there isn't a lot of opportunity for _anything_, let alone moving up into something special. I love wrestling. Is it such a stretch to think I just wanted to be part of something I adore?'

'No, I suppose it's not. Brie and I fell into it, but the WWE was always the end goal for us.' She smiled with those perfect lips. I tried to hide my own crooked smile behind my glass. It was hard not to feel inferior. Whilst Nikki and Brie had very different body types, they were both stunning, clean skinned and beautiful young women. Any prettiness I had came out of a bottle and I couldn't remember my skin without swirls of ink. 'Did you always want to interview? Or did you want to wrestle?'

I shook my head, 'Wrestling is left to the professionals. Look at me, I think they'd need a step ladder to get me into the ring.'

They laughed at that.

The restaurant itself was bustling, full to the brim with people having a good time. I could almost forget how empty it had felt whilst I was waiting for the twins. Whilst I knew that I'd been wrong to feel something was wrong – after all, Brie herself had clarified that they'd been stuck in traffic, it did bother me to think how long I'd been sat there. I was a patient individual, but still I couldn't rid myself of Dolph's warning. It seemed silly for me now to listen; the Bella twins were all smiles and laughter, charm and kindly offered friendship.

'So Nora,' Brie paused to take a mouthful of leafy salad, 'tell us about the tattoos. I must admit they intrigued me the moment I saw you. It's not customary for the WWE to hire women with so many – you're definitely a first.'

'It must have been my winning personality that got me where I am then.'

'Must have,'

I blinked, but shrugged, 'My brother had loads, I loved them and kind of fell into it from there.'

'How many do you have?'

'Um,' I actually sat there in silence, eyes to the ceiling as I tried to remember them all, my hands ran over my bare arms and wrists. Damn. It had been so long since I'd last counted, that I honestly didn't know. 'I'm not sure,' I admitted, 'over forty easily.'

'Damn, that's a lot of ink. You got any skin left?' Nikki joked.

'No ink is ever touching this face,' I made a swirling motion around it, 'I appreciate having a working life too much. But there are still parts of me untouched; I have spaces I'm saving for special occasions.'

'Such as?'

This was very quickly turning into the twenty questions game I'd played with Dolph on the flight. It would have been easy to be annoyed. I liked to be private, but there was no harm in what they were asking me. Neither of them were inked – it was clearly just interest in seeing a woman so covered.

'That's a secret.'

Enough was enough – some things were for me and me alone.

'Well one day you're going to have to strip down and let us have a look at them all!' Brie announced a little too loudly, incurring some odd looks from the next table. I tried to hide behind the turn of the booth cushions to hide my embarrassment. Nikki glanced at her sister and to the wine glass she drained.

'Maybe that's enough – we don't need Brie mode tonight. We have Make a Wish in the morning.'

'It's only a glass or two,' Brie defended.

I couldn't talk – I'd downed a whole bottle by myself, and was thankful for the wholeness of my meal, I could feel fuzziness in my head and spreading down my spine. Drunk Nora was not a good idea. Her mouth was bigger than her brain, and whilst I knew I wanted to see the legend that was Brie Mode, I didn't want to make an enemy out of Nikki. She was notoriously disapproving of her sister's drunkenness on nights out.

'I'm a grown woman, I can handle myself, isn't that right Nora?'

Bother.

'Make a Wish sounds really important – do you enjoy it?' I grabbed from somewhere in my brain. Thankfully it seemed to quell the impending problem between the two women, and they smiled at each other. Thank God for interviewing. Curiosity had taken me from Winnett to the WWE, and it had just got me out of picking sides with twins, maybe my faith was restored.

'We love it. Make a Wish is an amazing foundation. I mean, it makes me so sad, to think that some of those kids will never have fulfilling or independent lives, some might not even live that long, but just for an hour or two, you can make them happy. That's a massive gift to give and a responsibility we happily shoulder – right Brie?'

Nikki nudged her sister who was beginning to refill her glass with the unopened bottle of something good which had just reappeared on our table from our kindly server. I hadn't ordered it, and I could see from Nikki's disbelieving look she hadn't either. It seemed Brie was determined to have a good time. It was good strong wine, and I knew I couldn't have anymore. Instead I looked down at my bowl of carbonara and dug my fork in, twisted the tagliatelle, sauce and ham and took a mouthful. It was delicious and creamy and I knew that in the morning I'd have to hit the running machine.

'Right.' Brie nodded as she took a generous gulp of wine. 'This is fantastic, a wonderful choice Nora, I'm not sure if I could have picked better.'

'The server brought it for me, I'm glad you like it.'

'I think he likes you Nora,' Brie leaned forward and pointed at me, 'he keeps looking at you and smiling. You could be in there. You could!' her voice seemed to increase with volume at every word.

'Brie -,' I tried to reason, but Nikki cut me off with a hand.

'Brie you need to stop.'

'Stop what?'

'You know what. You're embarrassing Nora. We invited her out for dinner and you're showing her up.'

Brie glared at her sister, 'I'm doing no such thing. I'm simply pointing out that the server finds her attractive, and clearly since she's a single young woman then she could have a chance.'

'How do you know I'm single?' I squeaked. I should have kept my mouth shut.

I really should have kept my mouth shut.

'Well you're not going to find a steady boyfriend with all that shit in your skin darling. It's a shame you have such a pretty face. But there will be _plenty_ of young men who will give you a night.' She said it all with a smile.

'Brie, we're leaving.'

Nikki grabbed her sister by the arm and pulled her up from her chair. 'Nora, I – I'm very sorry. She's had too much to drink. I'll take her back to the hotel.'

Brie laughed, 'I'm not going anywhere Nikki, there is food on that plate. I'm going to eat it.'

Nikki didn't listen and physically dragged her sister away from the table, through the restaurant and to the door. Brie waved at me as they disappeared.

I didn't know what to say.

What to do.

It felt like I'd eaten ice, like a thousand bees had stung my tongue. I couldn't stop the tears that welled in the corners of my eyes. Every single table turned and stared at me. The half eaten bowl of pasta didn't seem appetising anymore. The bottles of wine made my stomach cramp. The young server had been cleaning glasses at the bar and hurried over, he stood straight in front of me, obscuring my view of the intruding eyes.

'Everything alright miss?'

'I -,' my voice failed.

'Is there anything I can get you?'

I just shook my head. I couldn't take my eyes off the edge of the table. He couldn't see my tears. I couldn't let any of them see that. I'd taken so much over the years I'd swallowed it all down, I'd thrown out crying, told myself that nothing was worth it. That I was so strong that no one could dug deeper into me than any needle. I could do anything if I just ignored the bad and followed the good. I could be strong. I could. Nothing had prepared me for this. After so long of feeling the dizzying heights of all things wonderful, I felt tiny, I felt like a child.

They'd gone. They'd actually gone and left me alone.

_The Bella twins are trouble waiting to happen_.

My phone vibrated next to me on the cushion. I couldn't look at it. Everything felt rotten. After a minute or so, the buzzing hadn't stopped. I sniffed, took it in my hand, answered.

'Hello?'

He must have heard the struggle in my voice. He must have known I was hurting.

'Where are you?'

I told him.

Ten minutes later the door opened and closed, and a body sat next to me in that booth, an arm around my shoulders. He smelled of sweat and didn't say a single word. He let me turn my head into his shoulder, he let my cry silently.

Brie didn't know what she'd done.

When I'd run out of tears, he picked up the bill for all of us. He held open the door for me. He gave me his hoodie when I shivered. He didn't say _I told you so_. He didn't rub it in. He stood with me, he walked with me, and it gave me such comfort because I knew he wasn't about to walk away. He wasn't going to be cruel to me. He was there when I needed him, because _he_ was my friend.

The cold air raised our skin, and I noticed bruises on his arms.

'Thank you, for coming for me.'

He stopped under a street lamp and looked at me in the electric light, Dolph pulled me into a hug and rested his head on top of mine.

'They walked away Dolph. She said those things and they just left.' My voice wobbled as if tears would fall again. They couldn't possibly realize just how they'd hurt me. I didn't realize until then how fragile I still was. 'Don't walk away from me Dolph...please...no matter what we say or do...don't ever walk away.'

Dolph pulled back a little, hands on my shoulders. He moved my hair away from my face, didn't even seem to notice the liner which smudged under my eyes and shook his head.

'Now Sparky, why would I go and do a stupid thing like that?'


	12. Let The Sun Shine

**((SO SO sorry about the wait everyone! I'm working most days now, so I'm getting stuff up when I can! I hope you enjoy this chapter and thank you so much for the positive feedback for the previous one! Please continue letting me know what you think, I really appreciate it!))**

'She said what?' Renee's hand was on my shoulder. Our shared room seemed a thousand times smaller than it had before. Dolph's sweet words and his comforting arms had carried me to the hotel, had delivered me to my room. As soon as Renee had seen my face, she'd pulled me through and closed the door, sat me down and started to clean my smudged makeup away. I loved this woman. She made me feel safe. 'I can't believe it...Brie always seemed to be the more agreeable of the twins...it seems so unlike her...but then...but then she is a Bella.' She shrugged uselessly and leaned against me. 'Oh Nora, I'm sorry. I should have come with you.'

'No,' I shook my head and sniffed, 'I'm a big girl. I should be taking this better than I am, it's just -,'

For my own safety, my own sanity, I cut myself off.

'She made me feel like I was worthless,' and it had cut through me deeper than any ink. Perhaps it wasn't the cruelty of her words which hurt worse – it had been the smile as she'd said it. She'd believed every single word she'd said to me; that I was doomed to be alone unless I opened my legs to every man who gave me a second glance. There was power in what she was saying. She was a married woman, she could rain judgement on those who weren't – who didn't have _her_ eternal happiness.

'Nora that's ridiculous, you're not worthless at all!' Renee turned me by the shoulders to face her. 'Shame on you for believing it, for feeling that way. Look at what you've done, what you've achieved! You're a part of this massive company, and you didn't do it by flashing tit or pouting for the cameras, you did it through hard work and dedication. That's not worthless, that's admirable. I _respect_ you for what you've done, for who you are. I love your image because it's who you want to be and what you want to look like.'

What a beautiful, crazy woman she was.

'Friends are special to me Renee. I didn't think for a second that she'd say those things, they were so kind when we first met.'

I'd always been so cautious with people, never letting them too close, just in case...and they'd been so good, so nice that they'd fallen through my defences and taken me in like the mug I was. Brie may have been the one to let out her voice, but Nikki was just as guilty. She'd walked away, taken her sister and gone. She'd left me behind to wallow in what had happened. They'd been close enough to touch, and it had all gone away. The very thought killed me inside, crippled my heart and crumpled my eyes. I tried to remember what Dolph had told me, when I'd begged him like a jilted lover to never walk away from me.

_Now Sparky, why would I go and do a stupid thing like that?_

'This is a cruel industry Nora. The Bella twins are the top of the pile in the women's division. You don't need to wrestle to be one of the divas. They like their dominance. Even if they hold you down with kindness, if you'd ever have crossed them, asked a question they didn't like, said something they didn't want to hear, it could have happened at any time.'

'You didn't warn me Renee.'

She nodded solemnly, 'You're right, I didn't. I should have, I didn't think. Perhaps they've worked their magic on me a little too well over the years as well...I guess I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt.'

'Dolph warned me, he told me and I didn't listen.' I fell back onto the bed and huffed. My hair fluffed around me and the ceiling looked blandly back. The whole room was a sweet affair, with pretty wall paper and smart beds. I could have liked it, but at that moment I just wanted to escape. But I knew I couldn't run from this. I couldn't turn away. This was a problem I had to face, had to overcome like the rest. Still though, there in my head, replaying like a stuck vinyl I saw them walk away from me. Over and over, reminding me of a thousand things, one burning heat that stuck in my heart like a white hot knife.

'How did he find you?'

'He called me. I told him.'

'But he didn't take long to get there did he? He must have been out already, and in that weather? What could he possibly have been doing? Unless he was taking the scenic route back from the arena, though if that's the case it wouldn't surprise me if a cold caught him. That guy's used to the sun, not the cold.'

A sudden worry struck me. She was right, and he'd given me his hoodie for warmth, had left himself exposed to the frosty air. But he hadn't seemed to have noticed the cold, only concerned with returning me to the hotel. Guilt festered; what if he _did_ get sick? Then it would have been all my fault. Only now, I realized that his hoodie was still around my shoulders. It clung to me even as I lay against the bed. It smelled sweet of sweat and distinctly of him. I knew it well – after all, our first meeting my nose had plunged into his pecs.

'You should feel privileged,' Renee poked me gently in the side. 'Dolph's surgically attached to that thing normally.'

'I'll wash it for him,' I insisted, 'I'll buy him another as a gift, a thank you. I have to thank him. I might still be crying into the carbonara if he hadn't come for me.'

Renee lay down beside me, reached over and took my hand, and squeezed it tight.

'We're your friends Nora. And don't you forget that. You'll get through this and I'll help you, and I know Dolph will too. There are a thousand people and more in this company. The Bella twins will fade into the sea of faces before long and you'll have a gaggle of friends around you longing for your company and your awesome generosity with ice cream. You'll see.'

I had to laugh at that, and it made everything seem better. She had that ability; she was funny as hell, but tender with it. I couldn't imagine anything but sunshine in her face. This spell she wove was some high I'd never quite reached, an angel hand through the dark to raise your face to the light. Could she cry? Could she even feel sadness? I would never wish any on her. If only for my own selfish reasons, I needed her to be happy, to influence me in my low times.

She played with my hair, braided it as I closed my eyes. When I was a child, Jake would do the same. I'd lay my head on his leg, and when I'd wake again, I'd have the most beautiful braids and a red cheek.

_Oh brother, I miss you so much_.

* * *

'Nora! Nora!'

I could hear her, but didn't want to wake up. Dreams were safe things, and I could have stayed lost in them forever. But as soon as her voice broke through, I couldn't remember what had preoccupied me in the night. Had I dreamed of knights in shining armour? Of bloody battlefields? Had I dreamed of horses and beaches or climbing the scales of a dino's back? God knew, I had no feeling left in my bones and the imagination was soaked from my brain.

It was only when a pillow hit me square in the face that I finally jolted to consciousness.

'W-what?'

'Shower! Go go!' Renee practically ripped me from the bed, into the bathroom, pulled last night's dress and underwear from my body and kicked me into the already on and steaming hot water. 'Clean now, clean fast!'

With a yawn I dizzyingly obeyed, though clearly not as fast as she wanted, because she actually came in and pulled me out again.

'Clothes!'

She'd laid out an outfit of flowing trousers and a pretty pink top on the bed, and had even chosen a matching set of bra and panties. Either the woman was way too organised or she was up to something. She assaulted my hair with spray and a brush as I tried in vain to dress myself, almost entirely forgetting that half of that time I was completely naked in front of the other woman. Eventually I was respectable, and she threw a glittering black blazer at me.

'This isn't mine,'

'No, it's mine. But now it's yours. Put some shoes on girl!'

Within the short space of five minutes, I was clean, very very fresh faced and dressed. She shoved me toward the door.

'What's the hurry?'

She launched my bag through the air for me to catch as I turned the handle.

'Hey,'

I dropped everything in surprise.

'Dolph!'

He leaned against the doorframe, phone in hand. There was a coolness about him, despite what had happened last night, as if it were all water off his back. Dressed in ripped jeans and a casual shirt, his long hair was tied back and damp from his morning shower. And _damn_ he smelled good. It came off him in waves, but I almost missed that sweat musk I knew. I stared at him in surprise until Renee threw his hoodie at my head.

I blinked and in a gabble I picked up everything from the floor.

'What, I mean, you're here. Thank you, er, you're here.'

'You've forgotten right?'

'Forgotten? I haven't forgotten...what have I forgotten?'

He chuckled to himself and gave a short wave behind me to Renee. 'Last night? I dropped you off here and told you I'd pick you up this morning for the drive to East Rutherford, remember?'

Either this was news to me, or I'd been far drunker than I'd originally thought.

'Ye-no. No I don't remember. But you're here now!'

Dolph's hand patted my head gently. 'That's right. I am. Where are your bags? Let's get you loaded up Sparky.' He edged past me into the room and peered round. 'Nice room.' He took an intake of air through his nose. 'Smells...womanly.' The rest of my bags were sat next to the bathroom door, and he strode on over and took them in hand, lifted them as if they weighed nothing at all. 'This everything?'

I nodded wordlessly.

'Awesome. Shall we go?'

'Breakfast?'

'We'll get it on the way.'

'Ok,' I licked my lips. They felt dry, cracked without their morning treatment and I realized I was devoid of make-up. Mortified, I lowered my head, my hair falling forward to try and hide my face. Renee had seen too. I always did my make up in the bathroom, away from everyone. But neither said a word. Renee herself grasped me in a tight hug.

'I'll see you tonight babe. Have a great day, and chin up alright?'

I swallowed and only managed a short nod before she shoved me out into the corridor. I near fell over my own feet before I managed to stabilise myself. I had to stop, and from my handbag I pulled out a massive tub of concealer. In a frenzy I smudged it onto my face, scooped of the stuff. I rubbed it in furiously. Next foundation. A woman possessed layers and layers of slap went on right there. It could actually feel my lungs tighten, and when I was done, and everything was in my bag, I was breathless.

Dolph waited patiently.

'Done?'

How could...he didn't even seem to care...didn't he notice? Had he not seen? Or was he feigning ignorance? I knew for a fact he'd seen my face when he'd answered the door. Sometimes I even forgot about it. I slept with make up on. I lived with it. I saw everything else wrong, but I hid the worst of me so well that I could even brush by it...

Had they seen?

'Come on Sparky.' Dolph nudged by me and led the way toward the elevator. Confused, unsure I followed, jogged to keep up. He was a fast mover by all accounts. 'Today will be the greatest and best day of your life.'

'Oh?' I squeaked. We squeezed into one of the elevators and I pushed the ground floor button. The doors swiftly shut as Dolph turned to look at me.

'Yep. Because not only are you spending your day with the Zig, tonight, you're going to watch him wrestle.'

'I...I am?'

'Yep. You look great by the way. You should wear that tonight.' He nodded to himself as if he'd just decided that yes, I should. 'Our itinerary for the day is this: we drive, we have breakfast, we explore, we shop, we do stuff, we eat, we wrestle, we drink.'

'You mean _you_ wrestle.'

'Whatever.' The doors opened and we shuffled on out. All around were fellow staff members sorting themselves out. Some headed toward breakfast in the hotel restaurant, others were already checking out. Within minutes, we were outside. The brisk morning air made me pull my cardigan around me tight. The sun was rising but the world was chill, evidence of last night's frost patterned the ground and clung to the trees and lamps. The cars moved freely and people were already going about their Saturday business.

Saturday.

'It's the Rumble tomorrow.' I suddenly found myself in a complete flap. 'Dolph what do I do? I don't know what to do, what I'm doing. How do I find out? Will there be time for me to practice questions? How do I deal with this?'

'Well,' we paused at the edge of the sidewalk for our car to be brought round. 'First of all Sparky, you breathe. Then we don't panic.'

'How can you be so calm? Tomorrow you could be on your way to Wrestlemania!'

'I could, that's very true. As could twenty nine other guys.'

'But Dolph, don't you want to win?'

'Of course I do. I'll go out there and I'll blast them right out of their boots. But I think I already know who's going to win.'

'Who?'

'Who do you think Sparky? Really?'

I knew. Of course I knew. The little girl inside of me really wanted to play the guessing game, to choose a man and hope he went all the way to the end.

'You never know Dolph, I think you could do it.'

'You do huh?'

The car pulled on round, the trunk popped and he heaved my bags in – it seemed his were already loaded. He must have been as organised as Renee. He paid for the service, and held the door open for me and I clambered on in, pulled on my seatbelt and waited for him to arrive next to me in the driver's seat. His phone must have rung because he was deep in conversation on the sidewalk. I sniffed and pulled down the sun visor to check my makeup. Full coverage. A sigh of relief escaped. The car itself was a fairly new model and I realized I could sync my IPod to it. Technology was not my strong point, at all. But by turning on Bluetooth, it automatically registered to the car.

By the time Dolph finally settled into the driver seat, I was poised. The sound was off, and I sat back, eyes out the window. I heard him clip his belt into place.

'You alright?' he asked, a hand on my leg to get my attention. A sudden rush erupted through me, as if received an electric shock. _What was that?_ I looked down at his hand, then at his face. He quickly removed it. 'You seem distant today is all. Was it last night?'

'No,' I muttered. 'No, and...thanks Dolph. Thank you for everything you did.'

'It's cool.'

'No really.' I insisted. 'I really appreciate it. Dolph what they said, what they did, it _hurt_ me. It hurt so bad I didn't think I could stand. But you came and picked me up and walked me out...why?'

'Because believe it or not Sparky, I care. You're a morally confused, strange strange person, but that's cool. You say what you think. I like that. You're honest, that's hard to find, and to tell the as truth, I could use a bit of honesty.' He reached toward the radio and turned it up, only to find himself nearly thrown back into his seat from the sheer volume which blasted.

I cackled at _Dr. Feelgood_. The sound all the way up on my IPod, it near shattered our eardrums until he turned it down a little.

'Oh clever Sparky, real clever. You trying to deafen me?'

'Me?'

'Oh don't play innocent miss,' he poked my arm, and finally we pulled away. 'I'll get you back for that. You just wait. It'll be when you least expect it too. You'll be all calm and settled and BAM out of nowhere, you'll get served.'

'Will I?'

'Stop that.'

'Stop what Dolph?'

'That cutesy voice and face.'

'What cutesy voice and face?'

He rolled his eyes at me. 'Stop that now or I'll pull this car over.'

'Then what?'

'Well, a number of things could happen. I could abandon you. But I wouldn't do that. I could bend you over in this car and spank you. But not enough room for that. I could make you run behind the car to catch up. Or, my personal favourite. I make you drive.'

I flinched at that. I could drive; this girl however was dangerous enough walking let alone behind the wheel. The sheer possibility of all the carnage that could occur in an hour's driving was enough to make me behave. But I couldn't help but smile as I settled an elbow on the window, hand in hair as I watched the world go by.

He was right, it had only been ten minutes, but I was having a great day already, with the Zig.


	13. Coming Up Roses

**((We've made it to over 2,000 views! Thank you everyone for giving Nora's story so much love! I'm sorry about the MASSIVE gap between postings, I've not been well but that's no real excuse. I hope to post more frequently these days! I hope you enjoy this newest entry! Please, as always let me know what you think!))**

I had a general rule in my life that if I could, I would avoid any and all processed foods. Why? Because in my head they were made of chicken bollocks dipped in the blood of orphans and then wrapped in flour and sugar, then deep fried or frozen until they were quite literally the stuff that monsters ate when there weren't any wayward children or virgins around. So when Dolph pulled us up at a _Wendy's_ I wanted to sit in the car and throw a tantrum.

'Do we have to stop here?'

'Aren't you hungry? I'm hungry.' He said and undid his seatbelt, he made to open the car door, but stopped when I didn't even move. 'What's up Sparky?'

'I...well...' it wasn't a phobia. You couldn't really call it that could you? I'd been into a fast food restaurant (ha! They weren't restaurants...restaurants were pretty places with proper food that was made fresh with delicious ingredients...not thrown in a deep fat fryer) once, a long time ago with my brother when it was his fifteenth birthday. One bite in a KFC and I'd found myself with my head down the toilet when he'd told me what it was. The taste was disgusting to me, and we promptly left and found a vegetarian cafe which did the most beautiful salads for us...always Jake, thinking about me even on the one day when everything should have been dedicated to him. 'Is there somewhere else we can go Dolph? Somewhere...a little healthier maybe?'

'You shouldn't be afraid of putting on a pound girl. It's not sexy when a girl won't eat.'

'I eat!' I snapped in defence and slapped his arm perhaps a little too hard. I felt instantly terrible when it came up bright red, but I didn't apologize. This was one argument I wanted desperately to win. 'It's just...I eat good food. Nice food. Homemade food...that isn't the arse end of animals and hasn't been fried beyond all recognition...'

Dolph just stared at me as if I'd just told him that he was eating the guts of elderly ladies whenever he went somewhere like this. He closed the car door slowly and turned to face me in the car seat. Concern was written on his face and he reached out and knocked one of my curls back behind my pierced ear. For a moment, my heart stopped. His face came closer and in a panic I scrambled back against the car door. He blinked, and then, started to laugh.

'You need to chill Sparky. You're would up so tight you wouldn't know how to unwind.'

'I chill! I meditate and do yoga and -,'

'Have fun? When do you have fun?' he asked. He'd taken the keys out of the ignition so we clearly weren't going anywhere until he'd had his fun of either humiliating me again, or playing another round of twenty questions. Why did he ask so much about me? He always seemed interested, as if my life was a direct influence on his. It confused me and I frowned at him, my thumb to my lip as if trying to keep my mouth physically shut.

'I have fun...' I muttered, though it did occur to me as I tried to think of the last time I did. With Renee the other night, that was fun. 'I had a champagne and ice cream party with Renee the other night. That was fun.'

'So the last time you had fun was staying in a room, in a hotel, with the person you were room sharing with and consulting the room service menu? I'm surprised you survived the night with just how much fun you must have had. Come on girl I'm talking about nights out, days out, going through the motions isn't fun – the unexpected and the unknown. That's fun. Damn it, I thought we were going to manage just being friends but it looks like I'm going to have to become your new life guru as well. It'll be a tough job, but for the benefit of mankind, I know it's one I'm going to have to take on. Ok, so you won't go in a _Wendy's_. Well let's find somewhere new, where neither of us have ever been. Sparky, let's go on an adventure. Just you and me. I'll be your white knight for a day and rescue you from your dull ways.'

'My hero,' I muttered sarcastically. He seemed keen on the idea though, the keys were back in the ignition and the seatbelt was plugged in and we pulled out sharpish back onto the main road. We passed dozens of places but everywhere I pointed out Dolph ignored. He seemed to be a man on a mission – who would have thought that a wrestler could be so passionate about finding a unique place for breakfast food? After an hour, my stomach was groaning and we still hadn't found anywhere. I was beginning to contemplate gnawing the leather dashboard when he finally pulled off, and into a small car park. 'Where are we?' I asked and blinked out of the window.

The building he'd settled on looked pretty uniform, painted white with a black roof.

'I have no idea.' He said and quickly got out of the car. He dashed around to my side and opened the door for me, offered me a hand to help me out. I took it, to be polite and looked around. There was greenery everywhere. Pretty fields and trees lined the view, and as I took a proper look at the building I saw roses climbing up the walls, a little wooden porch out the front and wide inviting windows. Whatever this place was, it was adorable to look at. I wanted to know more. 'Well Sparky, think we should investigate?'

I nodded with enthusiasm, and we began to walk. I didn't even notice until we got to the door when he let go...that he'd held my hand all the way there. I blushed as he held the door open for me, and scooted on in. I was hit by the smell of warm cake and licked my lips. It seemed to be a coffee shop, homely in decoration and warm on the skin. I felt fuzzy just being there. There were ten or so tables, most of them inhabited, but there was a free one by the window. Dolph ran for it, like a little kid, and I couldn't suppress a laugh as he pulled out a chair and waited for me expectantly. He was a gentlemen, if not in how he spoke, in his manners. He seemed like he wanted impress people at every turn. A woman at the next table over smiled and nodded in agreement at what he'd done as I sat down, and he smiled and winked at her. She blushed. The Zig was a ladies man with a gentleman's streak. He confused me and made me laugh all at once.

'Thanks Dolph.'

'Anything for a pretty lady,' he said and sat down opposite me. The table was lovely, old and wooden with a little glass vase in the middle with a single rose inside; no doubt clipped from outside. The damage which had been done to me in the past few days seemed to be healing with every single little action from him. Everything I thought I'd known about Dolph Ziggler seemed to be going up in smoke and coming up roses. The man himself was a tangle of everything men should be and shouldn't. 'What will you be having?'

The little card menu which sat in front of me had the breakfast menu and I looked over it with hungry eyes, secretly wishing I could consume it all.

'Eggs Benedict I think...' I licked my lips absently. 'Yes. I think so. It'll be a nice change from porridge all the time...'

Dolph frowned a little as he read his own menu. His eyes a little squint...did he need glasses? It almost looked like he did. I'd not seen him wear any before. But then I'd not really known him that long. Maybe he wore contact lenses.

'You alright?'

'Hmm? Oh fine.' He shrugged. 'Bit of a headache. That's all. Probably from the lack of food.'

I'd never really heard of hunger causing headaches. But what did I know? I wasn't a doctor. But still, concern nibbled at me a little. He hadn't hurt his head in the match last night had he? Almost in sympathy, my ankle panged. It was beginning to heel slowly – better than yesterday anyway, but still hurt a little. But still, I nodded at him and gave him a gentle smile.

'Maybe you should have some water – always helps when I have a bad head.'

He bit his lip, and nodded slowly, eyes on me. 'Might do that. Yeah...'

He didn't seem all together there. Maybe it was the drive. We needed to get some food in the man's belly stat.

'So what you gonna have? They have a big breakfast – that'll fill you up...or maybe an omelette?' he blinked a couple of times and let out the most magnificent yawn I've ever seen or heard – I was pretty sure I saw his tonsils in the process. 'Maybe you should get a coffee too Dolph. Can't have you falling asleep half way there.'

'Sleep? I don't sleep girl.' He laughed at that and for the first time I noticed the bags under his eyes. Once again, a horrible thought crept into my mind. What if he had got himself a cold? A bad one? Just because he'd come out to help me in my weakness? Because he'd been kind enough to give me his jacket. He didn't look too well and I took it upon myself to decide what he ate and drank. He needed to rest, to chill – and after all that conversation of me needing to do so, I was rather glad for my taut nature. A waitress in a pink apron came on over with a cheerful smile. She had beautiful red hair and freckles and couldn't have been more than sixteen. 'Hi there, could we please have two coffees, two orange juices, one eggs Benedict and one big breakfast please sweetheart? Oh, and a piece of that delicious looking apple pie to go.'

To keep Dolph going, the pie. He seemed to be falling asleep at the table. But she smiled and hurried off to get our order.

'Dolph? Sweetie are you ok?' I asked and leaned over a little to prod him on the shoulder. He peered at me through his fingers as he held his head.

'Peachy keen jelly bean, just a little rough today, that's all. Even awesome manly men like me have shit mornings.'

Taking advantage of his weakened state, I moved his hand aside and felt his forehead. He was positively on fire and my first instinct was to dash him to the doctors. I looked at him in mild horror.

'Dolph you're burning up!'

'Cos I'm on fire...' he chuckled to himself. 'Don't you worry yourself Sparky. I'll be alright. Just need to get some goodness inside of me is all and I'll be ready to roll. You'll see!'

I wasn't convinced. As soon as we got to East Rutherford, I was going to make him check in with the EMTs. Of course he wouldn't stop wrestling just for a cold – that was a ridiculous notion and I knew it would make him the laughing stock of the roster. But maybe they could give him something to help him get better...unfortunately there was no cure for the common cold.

'So,' Dolph propped his head up on both his hands to stop it slumping. Even in the heat of a fever, he was rather pretty to look at. It annoyed me in some ways, because it was distracting, and I wasn't a girl who liked to be distracted. 'Tell me Sparky...you gonna make friends with the Bella twins again?'

I almost felt insulted at the question.

I wanted to tell him that they could go do questionable things to themselves.

But that wasn't me.

'I...guess so. I mean...they shouldn't have done what they did...said what they did...but I want peace between everyone. I just want to get on with my job and enjoy it without having to worry about people not liking me.'

Dolph shook his head. 'There are always people who don't like each other. Take Cena and Cesaro – get along about as well as a buffalo and a croc, but they respect each other. Sometimes you gotta take the good with the bad girl, rather than try and please everyone.'

I raised my eyebrows at this particular piece of Dolph wisdom, but it did make me wonder. Brie had been very drunk when she'd said what she had. It was cruel, yes, they'd both been spectacularly rude when they'd left like that too. Did I _have_ to get along with them? Maybe his words were true – we didn't have to be best friends, but as long as we respected each other...it almost gave me relief, like some great weight had been lifted off my mind. But it did make me think of something else too.

'The other night – I got a lift with Nikki and John. I told him about Rusev knocking into me...he seemed really angry at that.'

'Cena and Rusev don't get along. At all...in fact, few people get along with Rusev. Did you find that in NXT?'

I fidgeted in my chair a little. 'He never spoke to me, even when I tried to do interviews with him. Lana was the one who talked for him. Seems to be the same these days. She always scared me...they both did. I tried to stay out of their way...I think that's why it surprised me so much to suddenly see them again the other night. It's so easy to forget that people move up. I mean some of my best friends are still slogging it in NXT. I miss them, but they wanted me to move up – they want what's best for me, you know?'

'And you should want what's best for you too Sparky. I know I do.'

I raised my eyebrows at that. 'You want what's best for me Dolph? Why's that?'

'Because,' he paused and yawned again before trying to focus his eyes on me. It was clearly taking him a lot of effort. 'You're nice, you're my friend and I want you to do well because that will make you happy. That's what friends want for each other right?'

He was my friend? Yes...he was. I guess it was stupid of me to question it. After everything he'd done for me, everything he'd said...he was my friend. A good one too. I needed to text Sami and tell him all about what was going on. I needed to tell him about Renee, about Dolph, about how I was coping and hoping that he was too. He'd been one of the main reasons I was inspired to work as hard as I had – because when I'd started losing hope in NXT, he'd always made sure I remained on the hard road. _You can't go forward if you refuse to move_ – that was what he always told me.

'Yes. You're right, Dolph of course, sorry.' I laughed awkwardly. The young waitress was back with a tray for our coffee and juices. I normally tried to avoid coffee – because I loved it. It would have been far too easy to become addicted. I grasped the mug in two hands, warming the skin as I rolled the china against it. Soothing, lovely! I took a generous sip, and the heat scolded my mouth. I nearly cried out, but kept it together and swallowed it down. 'Drink up Dolph – if we don't get you back to the land of the living you might have to suffer my driving, and you really, really don't want that.'

Nobody on the road wanted me behind a wheel. It was dangerous and irresponsible.

Obediantly he picked up his coffee and drowsily started to drink. By the time the food arrived he'd pepped up a bit, and started to attack the breakfast with more energy than he'd displayed in the past half hour. My eggs Benedict was delicious but it was _fascinating_ watching him eat. I'd never seen anyone shovel food into their mouth quite as fast as Dolph did. It seemed like he was determined to get it all into his belly before he fell asleep in it. I tried to suppress the smile that kept trying crawl onto my lips. I hid it behind the juice glass. He didn't seem to notice the odd pleasure I got from watching him eat like a child.

It was...adorable in an odd way. Like the mere presence of food excited him to such a point that he just wanted to munch it all at once.

With every mouthful he seemed to get a little bit of his glow back, much to my relief. I'd worried about nothing – he just needed food after all. Just like he'd said...but his temperature had been high...it was still worth him probably talking to the doctors. If he had some sort of infection it might prevent him from taking part in the Rumble – who was I kidding? Dolph could have been missing a leg and he probably still would have tried to take part.

Then, he looked up at me.

Our eyes locked and the eggs in my stomach somersaulted. What on earth? I blinked and felt heat gather in my cheeks.

'Gee it's hot in here,' I said and fanned myself with the little paper napkin I'd been given with my cutlery. It was a warm place for sure, but what on earth had that feeling been? Nothing I recognized. Maybe _I_ was the one who was getting sick. That wasn't allowed – I'd only just begun this job, I wasn't about to let illness stop me.

* * *

'Are you sure that you're alright to drive Dolph?' I quickly clipped in my seatbelt. I didn't want to drive – at all, but if he wasn't feeling up to it I was willing to give it a go so that he could rest.

'Sure I am Sparky. Look at me! I'm all good to go.' He was belted and the key was in the ignition, but then, out of the blue, he turned his head toward me.

He kissed my cheek.

It felt like it was on fire.

I blinked, my breath hitched in my throat and I turned to look at him in shock. My lips moved but no sound came out. And he just smiled at me, winked, and pulled out of the car park without a word.

What just happened? What was that? This strange feeling? I couldn't gather the words to ask. But something warm gathered in the pit of my stomach, and I recognized it as joy. I turned away from him and looked out the window, my head rested on top of my arms, and as the trees and roads dashed by on our way to East Rutherford, I couldn't stop myself from smiling. A true real smile that gave me such happiness. Whatever this feeling was inside that Dolph had gifted me with...it felt wonderful and I was going to enjoy every second it lasted.


	14. How Does It Look?

((**Hey there! So here is the newest instalment of Nora's story! Thank you to all the people who have been following it, it means so much to me that you're enjoying it! I really love writing this character, and I think it probably shows! We're getting ever closer to 3,000 views which is amazing! Please let me know what you think of this most recent chapter, as I love reading your thoughts!))**

It actually didn't take us too long to reach East Rutherford. Dolph was a good driver, and despite the occasional outburst of road rage, I felt safe in the car with him. We took turns choosing songs on my iPod and sang along like a couple of teenagers on a road trip. It was fun – I liked it, just being there with him felt good for me. Like he was a cup of sunshine that just kept on giving you all those juicy vitamins you needed to be healthy. Breakfast had definitely given him his buzz back, but he still squinted a little at the roads, leaned over the wheel more than he had done. Discreetly I'd opened a window so he could cool off a little and he hadn't complained like he would have done when we'd set off that morning. My worry felt warranted, if I hadn't insisted on him having all that food would he have been safe to drive?

I didn't know, and it scared me, but any real fear I had was riding in the backseat, because I just couldn't stop the smile that was stitched onto my mouth. That little kiss to my cheek...it was like a rose had burst into bloom in my stomach. I'd not expected it, didn't understand it, but it felt so wonderful. What had made him do it? I didn't know and I didn't care. I wanted him to do it again, just give me another burst of the ecstasy. It was sweetness more sugary than the piece of apple pie we took turns eating spoons of.

'Hey Sparky, mind grabbing me a tissue or something?' Dolph asked, crumbs around his mouth. There was a smear of apple on his top lip, like a kid at a party with cake. 'Think I missed my mouth a bit.'

'Impossible. I refuse to believe you could miss something that big.'

'Oh ha ha we have a comedian here do we? Ok funny girl.' His hand darted down, caught a finger full of gloop and rubbed it onto my cheek. He licked his finger clean and smugly placed it back on the wheel. I froze. I needed it off. Off! It was sticky. I hated sticky. But if I took it off, the makeup would come off. I couldn't just leave it...and he knew it. He _knew_ this would cause me panic. He really was an arsehole.

'Dolph!' I wanted to punch him.

'Aw come on Sparky, lighten up.' He chuckled and then, as quick as he'd put it there, he turned his head and licked it off again. 'All gone.'

I didn't know which was worse. The fact that he'd licked me or the fact that I was blushing that he'd done it.

'You're looking kind of red there, hot? Need me to open the window a bit more?'

'You're unbelievable.'

This seemed to please him. He winked at me and returned his attention to the road. It didn't take long for us to enter East Rutherford. Our hotel was a Fairfield Inn, one I would be sharing with him and a handful of others. I'd stayed in these places before and to be honest, whilst I'd heard people complain, as long as I had a hot shower and a bed to sleep in I was a happy girl. As soon as we pulled up to the parking lot, Dolph brought us to an abrupt halt, and buried his face in the remaining pie. The man could most definitely eat – I wasn't going to take that away from him.

'Hungry Dolph?'

'Seemed a shame to waste such good pie.' He shrugged and fished the last piece into his mouth with the plastic spoon we'd been given. He gave a content sigh and patted his rock hard stomach. 'Delicious.'

'Well I'm glad you enjoyed it. Shall we check in?' I opened the car door and made to step out. As I did, my ankle cramped and I near went flying. I caught the door at the last second and somehow avoided major incident. From his place in the driver side, Dolph actually laughed at me.

'You're a walking disaster Sparky. You know for someone so hot, you really are a mess.'

I grunted in response and perched myself back in my seat, hand down to rub my poor ankle. Stupid injury...it was ridiculous to think it was causing me so many problems. Tomorrow was the Royal Rumble – that meant heels, how on earth was I going to cope? I'd have to keep them off, throw them on when the camera was rolling and then go down to tiny again.

Dolph appeared around my side. He crouched down in front of me.

'Come on, lemme have a look.'

Reluctant, I slowly pulled up the flowing leg of the cream trousers Renee had picked out for me to wear. Dolph was very gentle as he held my leg and had a nose at where the ankle had begun to heal.

'It looks better than it was, still sore though I bet. You'll be ok Sparky, you just need to remember to take it a little easier.'

'I thought we were going for an adventure today? Remember? We explore, we shop, we eat, we...' I couldn't quite remember everything he'd decided, but I did suddenly remember that I'd been told that I was going with him to the House show that evening. I was excited about that. You could always see everything from out back because of the monitors, but to actually see him wrestle, that was something I couldn't wait to see.

'We'll do all of those things, we have plenty of time. The rest of the morning and all afternoon, and if there's enough time, we're going to get you a foot massage, might help loosen everything up in here. You have knots the size of cats.'

He put my foot back down and offered his hand to help me up. He could be a gentleman when he wanted to, and I couldn't help but smile graciously. He seemed to like doing this, and I thought back to the cafe where he'd practically sprinted round to my side of the car just to help me out of it. Either he was just being nice because of my foot, or he was just made that way. It was charming, a trait that grew on me each and every time.

I stood. He was so close to me that I could smell him, and he looked down at me with that quirky grin of his, those eyes shining and I couldn't help but beam right back, that warmth in my belly.

'You really do look great Sparky.'

'Even from all the way up there?'

'Especially from up here.'

For a moment neither of us spoke, and it was only when another car pulled up that I even remembered where we were. He still held my hand, fingers laced through mine. Easy as pie. Cosy as a glove. I looked down at it, but didn't let go. My heart hammered unnaturally and I realized that Dolph had more than just an effect on me, he positively changed my entire function. I'd not felt like this for a long time, and maybe it was just because he was good to me. Maybe it was because he was handsome, but I wanted to stay in his company for as long as I could, because I felt happy there.

'Say, I've got an idea,'

'What's that?'

'How about, we make this a date?' Dolph oozed confidence I wished I could possess. Just the word _date_ made me run at one hundred degrees. Did he mean an actual date? As in dating? Like, becoming potential lovers? That seemed ridiculous, we'd only known each other for a few days, and when we had met I'd marked out, then he'd had to come to rescue my drunk ass in the middle of the night in the cold. I was hardly making the best impression on him and yet...did he care? He didn't seem to. He seemed to enjoy my company as much as I did his. 'Shop, lunch in an expensive restaurant, walk in a park...wrestling, wine.'

'You're...asking me on a date?'

'Well you were going with me anyway, but yeah. What do you say Sparky?'

'I – well – Dolph, I didn't know you thought of me that way.'

He grinned at me like a cat that had the cream, 'Sweetheart, I've not been able to get you out of my head since you stuck yours between my pecs.'

The sheer memory alone was enough for me to bow my head in shame. But he slid his fingers under my chin, and made me look up at him, into those beautiful eyes of his. It felt like we'd faded from the world and were caught in our own bright pink bubble. East Rutherford didn't exist, nothing else did, just him. Crushing on boys wasn't my style, I'd always been so focused on achieving my dream...but now, now there was nothing to stop me.

'Really?'

'You're one of a kind kid.'

For a second I thought he was going to kiss me. Then, the car which had pulled up opened its doors and a squabbling family of four tumbled out into the lot. The moment was gone as the two sons battled over a stuffed dinosaur and the father tried desperately to separate them as his wife yelled at everyone to stop yelling. The boys looked about ten, and one of them was wearing a John Cena t-shirt.

'They look like they could use a hand, mind waiting Sparky?'

'Don't be too long.' I couldn't stop the words. I loved how he winked at me. I turned in place, laced my hands together on the car roof and rested my head on top of them as Dolph wandered over. Almost as soon as the kids saw him they stared up in awe. The father knew who he was – the mother didn't, but she couldn't stop gushing when he offered to help them with their bags. The boys talked to him all the way into the hotel.

I sighed.

Well, look at you Nora White. What have you gone and done to yourself? What's he gone and done to you? It was a funny story. But maybe I was getting ahead of myself, he'd told me he liked me (which was enough to make me want to dance on the spot), had asked me on a date. It was hardly a diehard proclamation of love, a proposal of marriage and having five children. But that was fine, this was amazing because it was something I'd never really had. I'd never dated, boys were my friends and my brothers because I'd never let it be anything more. I had a career to build. I think the people who knew me well had always thought I'd end up with Sami because of how close we were...but he was a brother to me. I had to tell him! Renee too!

I was just done texting them both when Dolph returned, a massive bright pink lipstick stain on his right cheek. He pointed at it as he came to a stop next to me.

'Sorry Sparky, the date is off. I've been claimed by some other lady.'

'I'm sure her husband might have something to say about that.' I poked him square in the chest. 'Come on you, let's check in.'

'Hold it,' he caught my hand as I made to walk to the trunk of the car. 'You didn't say yes.'

'Yes?'

'To going on a date with me,' he held my hand up to his mouth and pressed his lips to the back of it, not quite a kiss, but the contact made my fingers tingle.

'Yes,' I breathed. 'Yes of course I will you idiot.'

'Excellent!' with that, he picked me up and hauled me over like a sack of potatoes. Normally I would have screamed and told him to put me down, but I was so giddy that all I could do was giggle. He walked me in, past the bemused looks of the hotel staff and placed me down at the front desk. 'If you could check us in, be a doll, I'll grab the bags.'

As he left, he spanked me. I turned around in shock and raised my middle finger to him. He licked his lips and waggled his eyebrows as he disappeared back through the door.

'He seems a handful,' the lady behind the desk said with a badly disguised grin.

'You don't know the half of it.'

Almost as soon as I was done, Dolph reappeared, both my bags and his somehow tangled under his arms, in his fingers, his mouth, he even dragged his sports bag with his ring gear behind him with a foot. Tempted to let him struggle, I watched with crossed arms. Fortunately, one of the bell boys came to his rescue and took half the luggage with a chuckle. Wherever Dolph went, he seemed to spread cheer. It was a gift I wish I possessed.

We were in different rooms, of course, on different floors. First was mine on floor three, and I shuffled off, bags in hand.

'Be ready in thirty minutes Sparky, then we hit the town!' Dolph called as the elevator doors closed on him.

Thirty minutes? Was that all I had? I near sprinted to my room – 344, unlocked it and tumbled in. What should I wear? The outfit I had on now was pretty, but I wanted something more, something better. This was a date – my first ever. I wanted to look my very best. But how could I do that in half an hour? I didn't have a make-up team to help, I didn't have Renee for guidance. Like the night before, I was on my own. Only this wasn't a dinner with potential friends...this was something far more important.

But somehow, I knew what I was going to wear. There was a dark turquoise dress I'd bought myself two years before. It was simple, but elegant, flowing to the knee with spaghetti straps and pretty embroidery at the waist, the same colour as the rest of the dress. The sparkling blazer Renee had given me would be perfect for tonight, but for now I grabbed a black cardigan to cover my shoulders and arms. My hair? I never could do anything with it, so it seemed safest to just let it hang. I stared in the mirror in the bathroom. My make up from the morning had been a natural disaster, but Dolph had been too kind to say anything.

Twenty of the minutes I'd been given went into turning my face into a work of art – natural art. I disliked the heavy look (uncommon for someone as inked up as I was), so instead went with black eyeliner with a deft flick, foundation, powder and a slash of red lipstick. Shoes? Flats – all I could ever really walk in. Little black pumps with a flower on the end, they would do. I placed my hands on the edge of the basin and stared at myself.

This was something amazing, something incredible and I couldn't stop the smile which threatened to consume my whole face. I didn't know whether or not my mother would be proud. If she saw him...she'd probably drag me away by the roots, tell me he was a good for nothing who would take my heart, ruin my vagina and leave me broken hearted in a gutter. But I had more faith in humanity, I wanted to believe that people were good, they were kind and genuine...and I couldn't disbelieve the way Dolph looked at me. With a squirt of my favourite fragrance, I sat myself down on the edge of my bed and held my red handbag, the smallish one with a silver clasp on my bobbing knees. Every slight sound from the corridor set my heart racing. It felt like I was waiting for Santa to arrive on Christmas Eve.

When Dolph did arrive, he didn't look anything like Santa.

I answered on the second knock. There he was. He wore a navy jacket, a shirt – a smart purple cotton one, with dark blue jeans and a pair of boots. His hair was loose, long and he smelled incredible. But he didn't say anything when he saw me. Just looked me over very slowly, took me in. I fidgeted under his gaze.

'Ready to go?' I asked.

He nodded wordlessly. I made to walk past him, but he didn't let me, but pushed me back a little so he could look me over a little more. His head cocked to one side and with each passing second, his small smile grew a little more. Eventually, his arms hung between the frame of the door, he shook his head, a breath escaping him.

'Sparky...' he moved into the room, and, seemingly from the back of his jeans, he handed me a small bouquet of flowers, about the size of my forearm, bright colours and smelling sweet. 'These have nothing on you. You look incredible. I don't know how you do it. Every time I see you, you get even better. What do they feed you in Montana?'

He was so forward it was almost embarrassing. But his words gave me pleasure, gave me confidence. He liked how I looked – the one thing I gave so much time to, he approved of, and that made me feel like I'd achieved something. I pressed the flowers to my nose and took in the beautiful smell. It made me dizzy. There was a little vase with plastic flowers in on the bedside table. I moved over to it, and poured in a glass of water, before pushing the bouquet in.

'Thank you Dolph, they're beautiful.'

He looked remarkably pleased with himself, and offered me an arm. I took it, and he escorted me from my room to the elevator. He pushed the button for the lobby.

'So where are we going to go?' I asked. I'd never been to East Rutherford. It wouldn't have surprised me if Dolph had. The WWE Superstars were notoriously well travelled, but often knew little about the places they visited because they didn't necessarily have very long to explore. At least today he could mull about with me, visit the sights, have fun. That magical word that Dolph insisted be injected into my life: fun. Oh what fun would we have?

'I have no idea. We'll find somewhere together.'

'I feel a little overdressed for trawling the streets.' I bit my lip as the elevator doors opened and we moved out, through the lobby and then out into the crisp air. It was chilly, but bearable. All around us was noise, all around were people. I had no idea what we were doing, where we were going, but it didn't matter, we could have gotten lost for hours and I didn't think I would have minded all that much, as long as I wasn't alone.

But I needn't have worried. It didn't take us long to find the shopping district. Saturday found it absolutely packed and I had no idea where to look. There were dozens of shops, the mall stood strident at the centre of it all.

'How about we go to the big shiny centre of the universe?' Dolph asked and pointed at it. We were two teenagers, on a date to the mall. It was stupid and I loved it. We spent hours in there, wandering from shop to shop, buying nothing, trying on things, we took selfies and we forwent a fancy restaurant and instead bought pretzels and ate them in front of the mall fountain whilst sharing a bottle of spring water. There was something ludicrous about the whole affair but it was wonderful.

'Dolph look!'

I near dragged the poor man over to where a small boutique was nestled. In the window was a plastic mannequin, but instead of being bare, pale skinned and boring, someone had taken what appeared to be sharpie to her arms. She was covered in squiggles and doodles.

'It's your twin!' Dolph exclaimed. He pulled out his phone. 'Photo up!'

I giggled and posed in front of the window with my doppelganger. But just as the photo was taken, my smile slipped a couple of notches. Because there, metres away, were two people I didn't want to be anywhere near, especially today. They looked stunning, how could they not? They walked with arms linked, and as soon as they saw me, there was no escape. Brie nearly ran for me.

'Nora!' she almost toppled over in her high heels, and came to an uneasy halt next to me, ignoring Dolph's presence entirely. 'Nora, I tried calling you so many times. I'm so, so sorry about last night. I don't expect you to forgive me. I was terrible to you. I was beyond drunk, but that is absolutely no excuse for my appalling behaviour.' She actually looked close to tears and I felt my heart steel. Was this all a game? I tried to catch Dolph's eye, but someone else had. Nikki stood next to him. He looked as if he wanted to escape the situation as much as I did before she chose to talk to him. 'Nikki told me this morning what I said to you...you should have slapped me. I deserved it.'

'No Brie, no.' I never wanted to hurt anyone, lest slap someone for their drunken rant. She'd hurt me. I wasn't going to forget that. But what Dolph had told me about respect stuck in my mind. I didn't have to be the best of friends with Brie and Nikki. I just wanted to keep the peace. 'Please, you're forgiven. You really are. I'd like us to get along. But you have to understand, you did hurt me. You really did.'

She didn't seem to expect me to confront her about it and looked a little taken aback, but she nodded. 'Of course, of course Nora. Thank you. You have to let me make it up to you. Maybe we could buy you a coffee, are you free?'

'She's with me.' Dolph interjected.

The twins turned and looked at him. Nikki's gaze switched from him, to me, then back again, then to me. She made to open her mouth but Brie shot her a warning glance.

'Well maybe another time then.'

'Yes, another time would be lovely.'

I wanted them to leave. To just go and leave us alone. I'd been having such a perfect day. I didn't want this to ruin everything. I should have expected that I'd run into them sooner than later, after all, Nikki was the Diva's champion, she would be performing at all the House shows. There was no avoiding people in a company like the WWE. The twins regrouped, and with a smile at me, and a shot of confusion at Dolph, they linked arms and slinked away. Both Dolph and I stared after them.

'Well that was awkward.'

'You're telling me,' Dolph muttered. He put his arm around me and hugged me tight against him. 'You alright?'

'I think so.'

'You handled them brilliantly Sparky. You really did. I was going to say something, but I thought it would be better to let you sort it out yourself. They'd respect you more for having your own voice and making yourself be heard.'

'They looked surprised to see you.'

'I think Nikki spends half her life pretending I don't exist.'

'But why Dolph? What on earth could have happened to have made her think so little of you.'

Dolph suddenly looked rather uncomfortable. 'That's a story for another time. Let's not let them kill our buzz. Hey look!' he pointed at a Chuck Taylor store. 'Let's go in there, see about getting you some customised ones...they should say Sparky. Come on.'

He marched off. I stared after him. Clearly there was more to his relationship with Nikki than he was letting on. But was it really any of my business? I straightened the strap of my bag and hurried after him.


	15. Into The Firefight

**((So it's been an actual age since I updated this. Bad me. But for those who'd like it, here is the next chapter in Nora's story! I hope that you enjoy it, and I should be getting more chapters up soon! Please let me know what you think ))**

Hours later, I stood nervously outside of the men's locker room. My back was against the faded wall, my hair hung loose and my heart was thumping viciously in my chest. The rest of our date in the mall had been...somewhat lack lustre. The joyful flame inside Dolph had blown low after our encounter with the Bella twins, and it only served to deepen my curiosity about what had really happened between him and Nikki...he wanted me to drop it, and I completely understood, but that curious part of me, that piece which would niggle and pester until I knew the truth was flaring up. A different kind of itch to that of a tattoo, and this was one I couldn't physically scratch. He'd been...distant, almost, as if our happiness from the morning had been lost in some kind of fog. He'd not even held my hand coming to the house show. And for some childish reason that upset me. How? How did it affect me so much that I stood here and now to confront him about it all?

He'd asked me to wait in the Gorilla position, but I couldn't. My feet were tired, my bones were sore and I was tired and a little grumpy. From inside the locker room I could hear the wrestlers laugh and shout as they readied themselves for their up and coming matches. Occasionally I heard mention of the Rumble. It was tomorrow...the Royal Rumble, my very first pay-per-view, was tomorrow and I couldn't even think about it...because this mattered more then and there. All my life I'd worked toward the coming hours. But...but...who was I kidding?

It was a first date, seeing your ex when with someone else would have been awkward for anyone right? Right – not that I'd ever experienced it. I was overreacting, I was sure of it. But all the same...

The door opened, and there he was. His hair was slicked back, his black wrestling shorts were tight and for a moment I stared at him in complete awe. He didn't seem surprised to see me there, and poked my chin gently.

'Disobeying my requests just to get a better look at the goods Sparky?' he asked, voice warm as peach tea. I opened my mouth to try and say two words to him, but they stuck in my throat as any annoyance I had toward him melted away. How could he be so effortlessly sexy? It wasn't just how he looked, his vanity irked me so because I enjoyed how he presented himself, but it was his attitude. He knew how to talk to women, but in particular, he seemed to know how to talk to me. My previously folded arms fell to my sides, hands trailed into the folds of the navy dress skirt. I'd not had time to change, but he didn't care, took me in with those shining eyes and sighed an easy smile. 'Not going to lie though, that might just be my favourite dress on you,'

'Dolph -,'

He held up a hand to silence me, and cupped my cheek, bending a distance to look closely into my eyes. I couldn't help but fall into the caress, eyes closed, loving the feeling of his touch. What had this man done to me? I'd always been so strong...so careful, but all walls and doors were being leaped and opened by the simple words and gestures of Dolph Ziggler.

'I know what you're going to ask me Sparky,' he muttered, never once breaking eye contact, 'but what's in the past, is past. It happened. I don't like to be reminded of it, but I'm over it, and I'm over her. Let's focus on the present, on us, alright?'

On us; not me, not him as two separate entities, no us. A pair, a functioning unit; two pieces that mould perfectly together to form something better and stronger. I reached up a hand and held the one that touched my cheek; breathed in and out so slowly, as that happiness from the morning returned to me in the dusk of the day. Beyond the walls the world continued, cold, rains and snows driving people into safety. Here, with him, there was no where I'd rather be.

'I want you to come with me to the ring,'

'Wait what?' I stared at him in complete shock. 'You're...you're kidding right? I can't just...accompany you to the ring. What on earth would Stephanie say? It'd be breaking my role – I'm a backstage interviewer, nothing more! If people see me out with you, they'll think -,'

'That you're my girlfriend?' Dolph completed. He released my face and rubbed the back of his neck, a little gingerly. It was the first time I'd even seen him semi-bashful, and was rather startled by the little rouge blush which peppered his cheeks and nose. 'Would that be such a bad thing Sparky?' Behind him the locker door swung open – John. He near knocked into Dolph but managed to duck around the side of him without contact, but as he was about to walk away, he spied me standing there and stopped, stood tall and nodded, a small turn of his mouth at me.

'Hello there Nora, how're you doing?'

'Great,' I squeaked, barely able to contain the well of euphoria and uncertainty which threatened to spill from my mouth.

'That's good. Nikki told me she saw the two of you earlier. Said you made a cute couple, the girl speaks the truth,' he clapped a massive hand on Dolph's shoulder which didn't even make him flinch, but would have sent me to the floor like a sack of potatoes. 'You look after our Nora Dolph. I'll see the two of you later,'

We watched as the human superman walked down the corridor toward the stage entrance. There was something almost bewildering about how a human could be the shape John was. He was clearly very dedicated and made of muscle, and had slimmed down a little over the past few years, going for a leaner look. You could see the power he possessed in how he walked and talked. And whilst I doubted and hoped it would never happen, I decided there and then, that I never wanted to get on the bad side of John Cena.

It was only when I returned my gaze to Dolph that I realized throughout the whole exchange, he hadn't looked away from me even once. He still stood there, waiting for an answer from me. Those eyes...I was sure they'd belonged in the skull of some beautiful puppy in previous incarnations. It was the way he looked at me, which sent those walls he'd scaled crashing down into a pile of rubble and nerves. I could feel my heartbeat in the back of my throat, in the barrel of my chest, my stomach and...other places. Urges I'd not felt in years stirred in ovaries that had previously forgotten their natural existence, save for their ungodly ability to curl me up in a twitching ball once a month. I could feel everything throb; my heart, my spirit, every inch of my skin. It felt as if I were glowing.

'I guess it wouldn't be...so bad.'

'So bad?' his small smile turned into a full blown carnivorous grin, 'Well now Sparky don't you know how to make a man feel special?'

'But – but I need to know Dolph,' I interjected, and reached out, taking one of his hands my own small two. 'If...you mean this seriously, I can't...I don't think I could take this just being a game, a bit of fun. I don't work that way. If you want me...I mean really want me, then I'm yours, truly, completely. But can we...take it slow? I want to enjoy this feeling,'

Dolph liked that, I could tell by the way he pushed my hair behind one pierced ear, how he looked over every piece of my face. 'Sparky, I wouldn't have it any other way. We both have things that are important to us, jobs we've worked our whole lives for, dedicated years to. That's how it should be. Just as important...is being happy. I've been down for a while, ask anyone here, and then you bumbled along and I haven't really stopped smiling. Trust me, we can be slow as a snail in this hundred mile an hour life and I'll enjoy every second.' He leaned in close, his mouth hot against my ear, 'I'll be sure to keep my raging libido in check...for now,' teasingly, he nibbled my lobe. I could do nothing, stock still and barely breathing from the sharp contact that left me feeling dizzy, flustered. Maybe I needed to sit down. But he didn't give me the chance, instead, the hand I held gently led me along toward the stage. I followed, barely conscious to the world beyond the petrifying idea of walking out in front of a vast crowd.

'Dolph? Dolph who are you facing tonight?'

'Hm? Oh, Rusev,' he said absently.

My mouth opened in horror. Concentration lapsed and my feet tangled, my hands slipped from his and I hit the deck face first.

'Shit! You alright?' he was down next to me in a heartbeat, hands to help me up once again. But I lay there, completely prone and useless beyond the knowledge of what he'd just told me. My ankle throbbed in remembrance of what had befallen me only days ago. 'Let me he-,'

'Don't fight him Dolph, please, promise me you won't,'

'Sparky it's alright, it's just a match -,'

'Dolph I'm serious. That guy has a chip on his shoulder ten miles deep and if he sees me walk out there with you I just know that it's going to end in trouble. Please,'

He looked at me in bewilderment before the realization came over him. Maybe it had been easy for him to forget that the brute had shoved me aside. I could have forgiven that, but the way Lana had laughed had made me uneasy, unsure of them both. They seemed to get pleasure from the misfortune of others...and I knew that Lana didn't like me. It had all been right there in her face. Had I done something to them in the past, back in NXT? I couldn't remember even crossing their paths, let alone causing them harm. But I just...had the coldest feeling that something was brewing there in Lana's head...and that it was because of me. Some people hated for the sake of hatred. Could it be that petty? The push couldn't have been planned. But...it had been with some real force.

'Hey, Sparky, listen to me. I won't let anything happen to you out there. You'll be perfectly safe. I promise you that. House shows, they're fun for the audience, any real aggression he has will be saved for tomorrow so he doesn't exhaust himself. So don't panic.'

Dolph seemed have full faith in the good graces of cruel people but I certainly wasn't so sure. Considering that their match was up first...I regretted allowing him to talk me into accompanying him to those ropes, to that ring. Lana was sure to be there. I didn't want to cross the Russian. I could be feisty, I could be fierce and could stand my ground, but something about her scared me, I was ready to admit that. And as Dolph pulled me to my feet, I felt the sting in my ankle once again. Was it some terrible omen like the scar on Harry Potter's head? No. I was being stupid. I dusted my dress down and sniffed. Why did I feel like this? Today was a torrent of emotions and I couldn't handle it. Even as he put a comforting arm around my shoulders and led me closer, closer to the curtains that would show us to the world, in alarming clarity, ugly scars and inky eyes and skin. Was I ready for this? Any of it? Was the whirlwind of emotions from something new, something exciting? Had I allowed myself to be swept off my feet? I didn't have time to question it, because we barely made it in time. His music hit as we approached.

'You ready Sparky?'

I couldn't answer him, because I truly didn't know. By doing this I was confronting every fear I had, the overwhelming truth that I was something more than Nora now. I was a part of this colossal movement, this company that the whole world knew. I was only just about coming to terms with the idea of being acknowledged for backstage work...but no, this, in a small town would be my true debut with the company...and it wouldn't be for my journalistic credentials, it would be as Dolph Ziggler's girlfriend. The sheer thought of it worried me – what if Stephanie didn't approve? Would I get fired for this little stunt that he insisted on? I'd worked so hard to get here – I didn't want to jeopardize everything because of his flight of fancy. But just as I was about to pull myself free, voice my objections, we were through that curtain, and onto that stage.

The roar for him was deafening. He was a mega star. I felt like something tiny in comparison, an insignificant speck; expecting him to just go about his swag and leave me alone, I was shocked when he didn't let go of me, when he held my hand. Down there waiting in the ring was Rusev, and outside on the floor...Lana. I could see her venomous expression from where I stood. I was jolted back to life as Dolph unexpectedly span me around, caught and dipped me, in front of everyone – my heart leapt near through my rib cage when he made to kiss me – but stopped just shy, winking.

'Taking it slow,' he whispered and then brought me back up and started to take me down the ramp. The crowd didn't seem to care that they didn't know who I was. Phones everywhere snapped our picture, videoed the entrance and whilst I was terrified...it was exhilarating. As we reached the ring, he kissed my hand, then climbed up and in. I was on my own now. I looked up at him, silently begging him not to leave me. A short glance all around saw a sea of a thousand faces, curious on me, or fixed on him. But there, staring from the other side of the ring was Lana. I could feel the aggression flowing off of her. I edged back a little to the barrier, not close enough for the audience to touch me, but near enough I felt a little safer. I was short enough that people probably mistook me for a child – damn that was an uncomfortable thought. I hoped he didn't get bad press, hoped people didn't take it all the wrong way.

'Nora!' I blinked, turned at the call and found a young woman behind me beaming at me. 'Nora can I have a picture?'

'Er...sure?' She knew me? I'd barely been on scream longer than two minutes but people already knew who I was? Like me, she was covered in tattoos, though her hair was blond and curly, her eyes baby blue. She held her phone high to get a selfie and I tried my best to smile naturally.

'Thank you! Thank you so much!' the appreciation surprised me but as I looked back to the ring, Dolph winked my way. The match started seconds later.

I'd always loved wrestling, it had made everything so much easier as a kid in a nothing town. My brother had given me that gift. I'd been in the crowd too many times to count. But now? Next to that ring? Close enough to touch? It was terrifying, and looking up to see someone who I'd grown to care for about to fight...I wanted to close my eyes. But I couldn't. The carnage unfolded in front of me, as the two men clashed. Everything seemed so much more personal, full of bitterness, full of...hate? Dolph didn't seem capable of that kind of emotion, but I could see it in his face, something seething in his eyes as he focused on Rusev.

My hands were on the apron, my head barely reaching the first rope and I looked up enthralled and afraid for him, for his safety. Rusev didn't hold back, and when he saw me watching, he whipped Dolph in my direction. I stepped back just in time, and he rebounded off the ropes straight back into his opponent.

'Get him Dolph!' I didn't realize that it was me who said it, returning to that apron, fists hitting against it, trying to root him on. I was so caught up I didn't see Lana until she was next to me. I stepped back, away from her, eyes wide as she stalked forward. She didn't say a single word, but with every step that cruel smile grew wider. I staggered away, ankle twisted and I near collided with the barrier but somehow, with only God's graces I kept my footing. 'Leave me alone,'

'Look at you. Scared little girl.'

Dolph couldn't see what was happening, too preoccupied with the bulk of the Bulgarian in the ring. I swallowed. She moved too quick, manicured hand caught a fistful of my hair. My cry – he heard it, turned in my direction, stepped toward me without thinking. Rusev knocked him down, stradled his back and wrenched up his arms. Dolph's pain – I could hear it, I could see it, spine twisted, throat constricted. I...I had to help him! Lana pulled. There was a horrible rip that I heard before I felt. In her hand, a fistful of my dark hair. She'd stumbled back from the force of her pull. What could I do? I had to do something? I couldn't get into that ring, too short – the steps? It would take too long! Without thinking I threw myself at the ring apron. How I managed it I didn't know, and somehow, somehow I scrambled into that ring. But as soon as I was in, I blanked. Shit...what do I do? What do I do? Dolph's face had turned a ruddy red, eyes rolling. So...I did the first thing I could think of. As Lana had for me, I went for Rusev's hair. I latched myself onto his back and tugged with all the strength I possessed. It must have been annoying because he dropped Dolph, tried to swat me off his back. What now?!

Rusev scrambled around that ring, until he targeted the ring post with my back. But I wasn't having that. I let go, hitting the mat hard as he slammed himself as hard as possible into that post. My ankle screamed, things hurt that I didn't know I had. But my first instinct was Dolph. I crawled over.

'Dolph? Dolph are you alright?'

He was alive, trying to breathe, but alive. 'You're...crazy girl.'

I choked out a laugh. I didn't even realize that the ref had called disqualification from my interference, but the way Dolph looked at me I knew he didn't care. He reached up a hand, touched my face and smiled.


End file.
